The Stress of Passing Through an Educational Bottleneck: A Longitudinal Study of Psychology Honours Students

Abstract

Objective

An educational bottleneck occurs when students enter a phase of their training in which progression is highly competitive and determined by academic performance. We hypothesised that educational bottlenecks have a negative impact on student wellbeing, and investigated six potential protective factors.

Method

A mixed‐method approach was used to explore the hitherto unstudied impact of bottlenecks on student wellbeing in a sample of psychology honours students at two time points: at the time of research thesis submission and a month later after grades had been awarded.

Results

At the time of submission, honours students experienced high levels of psychological distress and low wellbeing relative to student norms, with 49% scoring in the clinical range for depression. Higher‐achieving students had the lowest wellbeing at the time of submission. Wellbeing had improved substantially 1 month later, except among students who received a disappointing grade. Perceived control over academic outcomes and having multiple group memberships from which to draw social support were found to be most important factors for protecting student mental health.

Conclusion

Educational bottlenecks are associated with reduced student wellbeing. Higher‐achieving students, those who feel little control over their academic outcomes, and those who lack social group memberships are at highest risk.

Key words:

• mental health
• multiple group membership
• personal control
• student experience
• wellbeing

Notes

1. The overlap of the research and professional training routes is unusual within Australian universities. For comparison, other health professions typically offer 3‐ to 5‐year undergraduate training programmes with an applied focus including practical placement (e.g., physiotherapy, optometry, dentistry), with honours reserved for students who intend to pursue a research career in the discipline. These issues are explored in more depth elsewhere (Kiley, Boud, Manathunga, & Cantwell, 2011; Lipp et al., 2007) and have contributed to the rationale for new 3 + 2 and 5 + 1 models under consideration to bring Australia in line with international standards (e.g., EuroPsy, http://www.europsy‐efpa.eu; see also Littlefield & Hammond, 2012).