"Been trying to dance it out”: Activity spaces, leisure activities, household dynamics, and socialization among undergraduate students during Covid-19 lockdown

Keywords: Time Use, Covid-19, Undergraduates, Leisure, Stress, Activities
Abstract Type: Poster Abstract

Abstract

Background: During the height of Covid-19 lockdown measures, social distancing, discouragement of gatherings, public masking, prolonged isolation or quarantine for potential exposure and remote instruction were commonplace for college and university students in the United States and globally. While large cross-sectional studies of university and college students point to rises in depression, decreases in mental health and well-being during these covid-19 lockdown periods, fewer studies offer insight into time use and activity schedules for undergraduate students, particularly in off-campus shared housing settings. Methods: During the summer of 2020, we consented a small number of undergraduate students from several off-campus houses at the University of California Santa Barbara to participate in an intensive two-week time-use study. We outfitted students with audio recorders to capture daily activities of students in their own voices. After transcribing student activities, we thematically coded their activity reports, and intend to use elements of discourse analysis to understand how students structured their activities to cope with lockdown restrictions and Covid-19 concerns in addition to daily life. Results: We intend to present results on patterns of student reasoning associated with activity spaces, leisure activities, household dynamics and socialization on coping with Covid-19. Conclusions: This study offers a unique perspective of student activity during the 2020 summer lockdown period. We have insight into actual student activity patterns and lived experiences for a two-week period, as well as students’ interpretations of their activities during that period. We hope to add context to the findings of larger studies.