Appendix K. Survey results – Curricular
CELT/PhotoVoice Project: Qualitative feedback by students
SSH102; PSY 706, Fall 2021
What does thriving mean to you now? (In this context, at this moment, after this full semester, and after having completed PhotoVoice).
Overview
In their responses, first-year (SSH102) and the third and fourth year (PSY706) students expressed that thriving can hold multiple meanings and is a unique experience to the individual. Students’ responses reflect on how thriving speaks to a collective sense of unity with others and the need for strong social relationships in order to thrive. Additionally, students shared they had a greater appreciation for a wide variety of emotional experiences, recognizing those moments of peace and happiness. Living in the present, evoked feelings of gratitude, the inevitability of unpleasant emotions and the importance of hardships in the process of personal growth. Students conveyed that thriving speaks to an overall sense of health and well-being beyond external accomplishments. Responses reflect that students are thriving and living for themselves when they engage in experiences that allow them to cultivate their concept of self and well-being, when they connect with nature, and when they can express themselves authentically with others. Further, responses expressed that the process of achieving their goals is as important and indicative of thriving as achieving the end result/goal for which they strived. Student’s reflections also articulated the power of experiential knowledge and connection with others in the process of cultivating new perspectives.
Themes regarding ‘Thriving’, emerging from the responses:
- There is no such thing as a single way to thrive: everyone experiences it differently.
- Thriving involves focusing on your mental health amid a global pandemic
- Thriving involves self-discovery, growth, and being your best self
- Being able to practice gratitude for moments of peace and happiness in life, and feeling satisfied with the present state of life
- Being present in the moment
- The notion of holistic health and becoming mindful of emotional, physical, mental health
- Being connected to nature, friends, family and community
- Understanding that thriving, while unique to each individual is a collective experience, it brings a sense of connectedness with others
First Year course – SSH 102
“Having completed this bonus PhotoVoice assignment, I discovered that everyone has their own way of interpreting the word thriving. At this moment, thriving to me means doing what I love and succeeding at what I am doing. It is a feeling of happiness and comfort that helps me flourish as a person. After reflecting, I’ve learned that it is very important to thrive in life, no matter how thriving may resonate with you.“
“Currently, thriving to me means learning and being at peace. I feel that this semester really showed me that the process of learning and developing skills, and engaging in a peaceful mindsets that will benefit your life is a form of thriving. Additionally, we are in the process of thriving by learning to thrive. Furthermore, PhotoVoice showed me that numerous places and things that are captured by individuals are a form of thriving. Each picture can make one reflect differently on how this specific photograph makes them question “what could thriving mean in this picture”, which is why there are so many definitions to what thriving can be when we are referring to a picture. I loved seeing and learning about what makes people thrive, it made me so happy.”
“Thriving to me means being happy and being satisfied with life. Being content with what I have and having constant gratitude. This semester has taught me to slow down and focus on my mental health, all goes well if your mind is healthy and happy. To me thriving does not mean to be better than anyone, to me thriving means to be better for myself every day.”
“Thriving at my age, point in life and current state has a myriad of definitions. In this moment, due to the struggles of school in a pandemic and various personal struggles, thriving means finding myself and motivation daily to do the things that I love and inspire me. However, this also goes hand in hand with my desire to “find myself” again and figure out what I do love these days. After this semester, I would like to thrive by finding my light again, being near the end, I am filled with fatigue and exhaustion, with little time to do the things that I love or that bring out my light. I would like to thrive in the small things, rather than always focusing on the “big picture”. This assignment reminded me of the person I used to be. Someone who explored the world, found inspiration in everything and everyone and wanted to constantly be a better version of myself before I needed to have a “reason” for everything: I just lived without fear of failure. To thrive would be to find this person again within myself and nurture her.”
“Thriving can mean so many different things to me. Over this past semester, the meaning behind it has slightly changed though. In this past half year, I have felt as though I have grown into myself a lot more than I have in the past, and I feel as though that has something to do with finding passion in life. Before when I was working both academically and in the workforce, I had no clue what future I was working towards. So, I just kind of went with the motions of life without purpose. After deciding what I want out of my future career, I was able to enjoy life much more than before. Now when I am at work I know I am there to save up money for my education, when I am doing school work I feel like I can thrive because there’s not an end goal that I can look forward to. Moreover, the work I am doing evokes passion within me. I believe that passion and thriving often go hand-in-hand for these reasons.”
“In my PhotoVoice assignment, I talked about thriving outside of the classroom and workforce, which is just as important. To thrive completely in life, you need a work-life balance. Being in nature always makes me feel grounded. When I go back to my daily life after time in nature, I am also able to thrive academically. This project has helped me further realize this, and I now put in effort to seek out nature in the big city and will continue to do so after this semester. Everything is beautifully connected in this world; to find passion and to be grounded is, to me, to thrive.”
Thriving means to me when an individual is growing and feeling ready for each moment. Thriving is about living in each moment and being yourself. Each person has to ask themselves, when do they thrive, and for me, I thrive in the beauty of nature. Before this semester, I may have only acknowledged myself thriving during vacation, or at my cottage. Currently, I have been able to appreciate and grasp the little things of nature and appreciate the moment. Over this semester I have grown and my mind has developed. In nature, I become aware of who I am and this is when I thrive.“
“To me, thriving means the ability to grow or blossom to become my best self. Especially with the pandemic, it has helped me become grateful for every little thing in my life even when things get really tough and busy. Being able to remind myself of happy moments, getting back at my hobbies that make me happy or help improve myself as a person, as well as successfully completing my very first semester in university. All of these thoughts and experiences have impacted the kind of person that I am becoming. All the things that I have learned from either a positive or negative light, have made me grateful that as long as I keep going in life regardless of the imperfections and hurdles I face, I will continue to thrive.”
“Thriving to me means being able to be my best self. Other than the past semester I’ve really been prioritizing my health which really took a toll beforehand. I learnt how to balance my school, and social life with making my health a priority as well which really means a lot to me.”
“Thriving to me, now I believe is still the same but with the slight change of also enjoying the present. This semester has gone by so quickly, I can barely believe that there are only a few more weeks left in my first semester of freshman year. I remember it all, but I feel like sometimes I got caught up in the question of “Ok what is next ” rather than “Wow what I am doing is really fun and I am so lucky”. I definitely will be looking at life and journey in a different light.”
“Thriving means giving your all, everyday. Life is too short to take advantage of the time you have with those you love and those you choose to surround yourself with. If one is stuck in a fixed mindset, one cannot grow as an individual. In my opinion, I must be able to adapt to change in order to thrive because I cannot thrive in the absence of growth.”
“To me thriving means surviving. Thriving is about sustaining oneself and cultivating one’s abilities. It is necessary to be healthy internally and externally in order to survive. To survive, you must first figure out what it is that helps you “survive” and then stick to it. In order for me to “survive,” I require certain things in my life. One of them is working out. I could feel like I’m thriving at the moment if I exercise for one day, but if I do it consistently, I feel like I’m surviving. Discipline, time management, responsibility, and accountability are all required. That takes time to develop, you’re cultivating yourself.”
“Now, thriving means picking myself up when I have stumbled in some way. Whether it be mental, physical, spiritual, or social. Thriving is that moment when I reorient myself, make peace with my situation and start fresh. Before this semester and PhotoVoice, I used to only acknowledge academic and spiritual challenges. Through the course of this semester and the experience of PhotoVoice, I have learned to overcome and thrive despite physical and social challenges.”
“Thriving to me means sharing my knowledge beyond those that I come across in my discipline. People are often very focused within their own areas of study, and only interact with those that they tend to cross paths with. However, disciplines can become stronger together when we learn about other areas of study and where our fields intersect. The world is all interconnected – the services that we receive on an everyday basis work hand in hand with one another. I believe that the same should happen with education in order to collectively thrive towards a better future.”
Fourth-year course – PSY 706
“To me, thriving now means to feel as if whatever it is you are doing, thinking, or feeling, that you are able to not only be your best self but to grow past your pre-conceived notion of what your best self is. Thriving is also unique to everyone. To me, thriving can look like reading my favourite book by candlelight, but to others, thriving can be winning a race they trained hard for or solving a complex equation. It is important for people to take the initiative to learn the context in which they thrive.”
“At this point in the semester, I realize that thriving means many things for many people. However, I believe that thriving is when I am able to challenge myself and push my capabilities both in a personal sense and academically. I understand that thriving may not only be a state of mind, but it can also be a gradual process and it may take a long period of time to notice. It is also possible to be thriving while not always feeling the same positive emotions, sometimes the times in life where you are being challenged are times where you can grow and thrive from that experience.”
“Thriving in my perspective is to be social and forcing yourself to experience nature even if it is something that you would rather avoid at the moment. It will help recenter and refocus yourself. This has been positively benefitting my mood and motivation. In other words, I thrive when I can reconnect with my friends, the community, and myself.”
“Right now, thriving means working towards and accomplishing your goals. I feel great about my performance in this academic semester, and I realize that I was thriving even when I had to spend long hours finishing some assignments and studying for midterms. This view still aligns with my initial interpretation of thriving as being productive, but I have also been reminded recently of how great it feels to get good feedback on assignments and projects that you have worked so hard on. So in a sense, positive feedback you get from your hard work makes you feel that you are thriving and reinforces future hard work. I am very happy to have been a part of this assignment and will continue to use some of the lessons I have learned about thriving in the future.”
“Thriving in my opinion is being exuberant. Being satisfied with life and not feeling deprived of anything. Thriving to me means that I don’t have to be the best at everything, it just means I must be the best for myself. Thriving means to live for yourself, do the things that you like and to live your life on your own terms.”
“Thriving to me is being able to grow in every aspect of life. As a student, we are more prone to solely focus on our academic growth and neglect our personal lifestyle. However, in order to holistically grow and flourish as a student and an overall individual, it is important to focus on our mental, physical and social factors of life.”
“Thriving means to me “the growth within myself”. I feel that this is important because you should grow to be more connected with yourself. I have become much more united with myself. This has allowed me to be more motivated and achieve higher grades. I connected with nature which helped me realize that things in nature grow, which means I can grow within myself.”
“Thriving, to me, means prioritizing myself, my health, and my wellness. For me this looks like going to therapy, spending time with loved ones, and engaging in activities that bring me joy. It also means putting in the work necessary to achieve that. Most importantly, thriving to me means doing my best, in however I need to define thriving in a specific space and at a specific time. As explained in one of the PhotoVoice meetings, “thriving is active”, it is making things happen, not passive acceptance.”
“Thriving to me has grown into a holistic image that is in constant fluctuation. I can be thriving emotionally but not necessarily physically, and I can be thriving in one moment and feel like I’m stagnant in the next. I also think thriving is a subjective experience, unique to each person’s experiences. Some see thriving in maintaining a busy schedule, while others see it as spending time with loved ones. Thriving to me is similar to the idea of flow, which lies between feeling anxious and bored, where the challenges I face meet my own abilities. I think thriving is something that people find fulfillment in. After witnessing people’s experience in thriving, I found we all shared common ground in holding thriving as something of high importance in the current moment, whether it was travelling, exercising, academics, or stepping outside of our comfort zone.”
“Thriving means to me being my most optimal self. It means showing up as the best I can and actively choosing to engage in activities that support my well-being. It also means surrounding myself in an environment that is optimal for my growth. It means every dip, every challenge and every failure pushes me towards growth”
Additional Survey Responses
Based on the survey responses, it is fair to say that the PhotoVoice project took their understanding of what it means to thrive to a deeper level, by adding two additional layers to the responses – “I thrive when…”.
Experience on being a Mentor/Mentee
- First and foremost was the opportunity to either be a mentee (a first-year student in SSH102) or a mentor (a fourth-year student in PSY706). Students from both courses described how gratifying it was to meet someone for the other end of their respective journeys.
Excerpts from the first year students’ perspective:
“The best part of working with upper-year students from another program is seeing the open-mindedness and interchangeability between disciplines, and how connectivity can still be found. Although students of different years and programs may have different values, I find that the end goal stays consistent. Students are always willing to learn and apply their knowledge where it is possible, which allows other students in a mentorship opportunity to learn beyond their curriculum. What I learned from this mentorship relationship is when students utilize each other as resources, they will succeed much more. Often, students tend to see each other as competition, but I like to view it as everyone can succeed and things can be done better together. This opportunity has inspired me to be there for other students in their thriving journeys, as everyone seeks a different means to succeed, such as through acquiring motivation, time management skills, and consistency in work ethic.”
Another student said: “The best part of working with an upper-year student was gaining a new perspective. My mentor is in a different major than me, which allowed me to understand her version of thriving in her current academic environment. I learned that university would take some time to adjust to and there are many ways to connect with my peers and get support. During this mentorship relationship, I have learned that everyone is different and there are different ways of approaching life and your own situation. This mentorship relationship has only enriched my desire to help others on their thriving journey.”
While this student said: “The best part about working with an upper-year student was simply talking to my mentor. He was an easy person to talk to and it made me realize that although we are online, it’s still possible to have meaningful conversations. As we were talking he told me that it’s not necessarily what we learn in our courses that will help us become successful but instead, it’s the process of this journey that will teach us the skills and abilities to be successful. For example, in a class where we feel like we won’t be able to apply the content into the real world, we must look at it like the time management skills that we are learning while balancing many other classes will teach us the skills that we can apply in our daily lives. As I am a first-year student, I have found the transition from high school to university quite difficult. My mentor was telling me that he has class, goes to work and makes time for himself which I found extremely inspiring. Although he has a busy schedule, the way he spoke about his situation was positive. He motivated me and made me feel excited about the next few years of university and the future instead of feeling overwhelmed. I’d like to have this kind of impact on other students as I believe it would help them thrive in their journeys. It brings one peace of mind talking to people who have already been through what you are going through. Therefore, I’d like to be that person for a future student at Ryerson University.”
Excerpts from the fourth year students’ perspective:
This student said: “I was paired with a lovely student. There were many wonderful things about working with her, she was very proactive, easy to communicate with, in addition to being very kind and understanding. If I had to pick one thing, the best part about working with her also overlaps with what I learned from being a mentor, she had as much to teach me as I did to teach her. When we discussed the concept of what thriving means in our one-on-one meeting, she explained her perceptions of thriving which varied greatly from my own at the time. Her definition focused more on perspective, focus, and calmness. This opened up my perspective to not only consider this in my own photograph and description but also to think differently in terms of course themes and content, which we discussed to aid in our individual projects”
This student observed: “The best part of working with first-year students was making an impact in someone’s life. University was a big transition in my life, filled with uncertainty, stress and challenges, and yet I was able to overcome these obstacles through the teachings and support of various mentors in my life. I have always wanted to help others the way I have been helped, and so being able to use my knowledge and experience to give back to others who were in a similar situation was an amazing opportunity to fulfil this goal. Something I learned from being a mentor was that being inspired can occur from both the mentee and mentor side. I found myself relating to my mentee about exercise, and how much it has meant to both of us in terms of representing our idea of thriving. Seeing her resolve to face her obstacles head on and her aspirations entering university was inspiring to see. Another aspect of the mentorship program which I personally found really cool was realizing how far I have come from my first year of university. Talking to my mentee reminded me what life was like 4 years ago, and how much I have grown since then and of course how much more growing I still have left to do. This realization grounded my sense of self to the present, and reminded me of the wonderful memories I have made since coming to Ryerson.”
Another student stated: “The best part of working with first-year students is that I help them understand how important it is to look at things from different perspectives. I learned that being a mentor helps you learn from talking to other students. As they learn different theories and you can exchange information and learn from each other. I have learned to apply what I have learned in my PSY 706 class, which is great! I hope to keep mentoring, that way I can apply different theories which I have learned from my Positive Psychology class.”
Having a Voice within the Institution
- The second concept observed by all the participants in the curricular process was in reference to having a voice within the institution, through the exhibit of both photos and narratives to communicate with university administrators what they think about thriving in a post-secondary context.
Excerpts from the First Year Students’ Survey:
This student said: “I hope that Ryerson executives and decision-makers will take my photograph and description as another representation of how we can perceive thriving, and that we can see thriving in a wider lens, as in that we can observe different environments thrive, and by doing so, we can enlarge our perspective of what it means to thrive, and this will allow us to take in count different and numerous meanings and objectives of thriving, not just the traditional ‘I thrive when I achieve my goals and big things’ meaning of thriving. I believe that many feel that they are thriving only when they achieve ultimate success because thriving has been objectified as the end goal of something big, and then the process of achieving the goal is forgotten about, and that suddenly, one is shown that they thrived just because they achieved or reached their target. However, we need to learn and understand that we are unconditionally thriving even when we fail, get closer to our goal, or reach our goal (s), including the process it took in all situations/circumstances. I hope that there is a new policy to accept failure just as much as success, and to teach students to learn to love and value themselves for all they do because I believe it is the base of ultimate thrive. I feel that students will be able to feel unconditional thriving if they are not shown that failure is a setback, but rather is to be admired.”
Another student observed:“Students have gone through a hard time for a year and a half – I am sure every school executive knows and acknowledges this fact. I hope that my narrative helps them further realize how much taking a break from the pressures of academia and being able to get out in nature can help students with their grades and mental health. It might be nice to have some outdoor school-based activities that Ryerson can hold to let students have the opportunity to retreat from their homes and campus.”
This student stated:“…While education provides a means for knowledge and survival through acquiring a job, I think that universities should support and promote mental wellbeing much more than they currently are.”
While this student said: “I hope Ryerson executives and decision-makers take my photograph/description as a reminder to find time to relax… How wonderful life is when we decide to take it easy, slow down and actually live for each and every day we are given. Finding that gratitude in the present time and taking the moment to just breathe and soak in the sea.”
Excerpts from the Fourth Year Students’ Survey:
One student said: “I hope that Ryerson executives and decision-makers can take my version of thriving and apply it to new and innovative ways of engaging students with the university. I think that students do much better in school when they have a clear plan and goal for what they want to achieve in university. Perhaps executives and decision-makers can emphasize the planning and reflection aspects of a student’s academic journey. For example, a program could be implemented where students in first year are asked to reflect on what they really want to gain from and achieve in university. There could be follow-up reflections every semester where students are asked whether they have gotten closer or further away from their goals. A process like this allows students to critically evaluate their progress while providing them a goal to work towards, something that I feel is essential to thriving.”
Another student stated: “I hope Ryerson decision-makers have a better understanding on how the environment of Ryerson is closely tied to the school’s identity and how being a downtown university has given students the opportunity to come from all laces and find opportunities to express themselves and introduce themselves to new people and experiences. I also hope that they can use the school’s location to encourage other students to expose themselves to places and events. This will hopefully help them become familiar with the city and gain the confidence to face and overcome a variety of challenges.”
This student said: “I hope Ryerson executives and decision-makers take from my photograph the importance of incorporating nature into our campus. Nature has numerous health benefits and being located downtown, where cement and concrete are more prominent than trees and grass, minimizes these benefits greatly. Therefore, they must prioritize creating green spaces on campus where students can go to study and socialize.”
While this student stated: “One thing I hope Ryerson executives take from my photograph and description it is that being a student is really difficult. I love school and I enjoy learning, but I also work, I volunteer, I am involved in my community, I am a family member, a friend, a partner, and prioritizing self-care is a necessity in my life. Balance, for me and my student peers, is essential to thriving. A university environment widely does not accommodate to the various needs of students. Thriving in university seems to be more or less defined by the institution, you must meet a GPA standard achieved by writing essays, acing tests, as well as schedule many hours per week to read the abundance of readings assigned to multiple courses. Thriving for students involves more than being students and trying to achieve a predetermined definition of success. Prioritizing time for us to thrive can improve our student experience and potentially our performance.”
