How do University Students' Rumination (Obsessive) Thoughts Affect the Education Process?

During young adulthood, university students are in an educational process where they acquire new knowledge, skills, and experiences. In this process, they need to direct their attention, interest, abilities, and performance towards the relevant educational program. However, ruminative (obsessive) thoughts triggered by emotions and thoughts such as anger, depression, and anxiety stemming from students' past experiences can cause disruptions in the learning process. While the university education process, where new knowledge and skills are learned, requires high awareness, ruminative thoughts lead to a decrease in awareness. Addressing rumination, which can negatively affect students' educational processes, and taking necessary precautions can be beneficial.

A study conducted at Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University aims to deeply examine how these obsessive thoughts affect students' educational processes. Obsessive thoughts can be defined as a mental trap that causes an individual to repeatedly think about a negative event or situation. These types of thoughts make it difficult for a person to effectively evaluate the present moment by focusing on past mistakes and worrying about the future.

The study examines the relationship between University Students' Ruminative Thoughts, Gestalt Contact Barriers, and Unfinished Tasks. The findings indicate that the Gestalt contact barriers "contact" and "post-contact" sub-dimensions are positively related to students' ruminative thoughts. Additionally, the sub-dimensions of unfinished tasks "living in the past" and "unexpressed thoughts and feelings" significantly predict students' ruminative thoughts.

Supportive Interventions by Universities Play a Critical Role in Students' Struggle with Obsessive Thoughts

The findings of the study clearly demonstrate that ruminative (obsessive) thoughts disrupt students' educational journey. According to the research team, these thoughts, which reduce students' awareness and negatively impact their learning processes, pose a significant obstacle to education. These obsessive thoughts can also negatively affect students' self-evaluations and undermine their self-confidence.

Researchers emphasize the need for universities to develop supportive interventions to reduce the impact of obsessive thoughts and help students learn more effectively. Such interventions can increase students' awareness by focusing their attention and improve their learning experiences. Recognizing and addressing obsessive thoughts to help students cope more effectively with the challenges they face in their educational journey is seen as the key to academic success and well-being.