Perception of Quality of Life and its Components among Russian Students – Implications for Academic Teaching

Remigiusz Gawlik; Roman Titarenko; Sergei Titov

Published : 2015-09-30

Vol. 6 No. 16 (2015)

Perception of Quality of Life and its Components among Russian Students – Implications for Academic Teaching

Remigiusz Gawlik

Roman Titarenko

Sergei Titov

Section: Articles Varia

Abstract

The paper has 3 objectives: (i) identify QoL determinants of Russian Students; (ii) assess their relevance for decision-making when choosing life strategies; (iii) recognize their implications for academic teaching. The research sample were students from two Russian Universities. The study employed: literature analysis;
exploratory research (direct individual in-depth interviews, survey based on a self-administered, web-based questionnaire with single-answer, limited choice qualitative & quantitative questions and gradings based on the Likert-type scale); explanatory research (informal moderated group discussions). The research findings show the relatively high significance of finance, career,stability, family, free time and other non-material QoL determinants. Research analysis reveals an inconsistency between respondents’ expectations
and their work-life balance, which imposes a question about decision-making
criteria at an early stage of career planning and the role of tertiary education
in this process. Implications & Recommendations: (i) multicriteri decision-making processes, such as career planning, should comprise worklife balance; therefore both material and non-material QoL determinants should be incorporated into the analysis; (ii) as the role of Universities, beside educating, is also to guide and shape characters, Academia seems to be the right place for this task; (iii) therefore Universities should promote conscious lecturers as assistants to the process of identification of individual QoL determinants by their students. Contribution & Value Added: the research provides a fresh and improved perspective on quality of life and its determinants; it includes non-material QoL components and therefore brings qualitative determinants into economic research; it will provide data future comparisons; it comes from a research network linking European and Russian tertiary education institutions and University lecturers with intercultural teaching experience.

Keywords

determinants of quality of life ; multicriteria decision-making ; qualitative research ; intercultural teaching

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Remigiusz Gawlik

Affiliation

Cracow University of Economics, Poland Department of International Economics Poland

Roman Titarenko

Affiliation

Russian State Social University, Russia Department of Social Security, Economics and Enterprise Management Russian Federation

Sergei Titov

Affiliation

Moscow Technological Institute, Russia Department of Management Russian Federation