2026-09-25T15:05:17Z https://epublications.vu.lt/oai

oai:vu.lt:elaba:210642819 2026-07-04T21:23:56Z openaireNDLTDDRIVER

Tiltas tarp dviejų mokyklų: laisvų nuo studijų metų patyrimas tarp jaunų žmonių /The bridge between two schools: young people's experience of a gap year.Žuromskaitė, Lukrecija,info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessIntroduction: A gap year is a not uncommon break between secondary and higher education for graduates. Although the phenomenon is becoming increasingly popular (Crawford & Cribb, 2012), it has not been studied in the field of psychology in Lithuania. Existing research reveals that gap year contributes to better adjustment to change and failure, higher academic motivation (Rashid & Kibble, 2021), higher emotional intelligence scores (Shahid & Adams, 2020), and autonomy (Mouraz & Araujo, 2017). However, little is known about how young people feel about the challenges they experience during the gap year. Aim of the study: This study aims to uncover and describe young people's experiences during their gap year. Methodology. 8 serial interviews were conducted with 4 young people during their gap year, chosen immediately after leaving school. The age of the participants was 19 years, 3 of the 5 identified as female, 1 as male and 1 as non-binary. Results: Firstly, during the years free from studies, young people feel a sense of inner coherence stemming from a positive emotional well-being, a nurturing connection with themselves and a sense of unity with their homeland. Secondly, the experience of the gap year is emotionally more difficult than expected: adaptive stress, disappointment at the discrepancy between expectations and reality, a frustrating quest for experiences and a sense of loneliness. Discussion: Some of the results confirm the findings of existing studies (Pivoriūtė, 2024; Mouraz & Araujo, 2017). Other findings - unity with the homeland, adaptive stress, frustration with the discrepancy between expectations and reality and frustrating pursuit of experiences - are new findings in the field of gap year research.Institutional Repository of Vilnius Universityinfo:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesislit2024application/pdfhttps://epublications.vu.lt/object/elaba:210642819/210642819.pdfhttps://repository.vu.lt/VU:ELABAETD210642819&prefLang=en_US