Understanding Emotional Journeys: the emotional impact of the student 'commute' during the era of Covid-19

This project engaged with ‘commuting’ in a more interpretive way than traditionally considered. It allowed students to think of their ‘commute’ or ‘journey’ to study as both a physical and emotional manifestation. It utilised multiple research methods (focus groups and interviews), as well as the addition of visual methods. Personal photographs of the ‘commute’ and map drawings of this journey provided a novel approach to conceptualise the emotional experience of students. This participatory research strategy enabled student participants to engage with their ‘journey’ as an affective experience. A total of 17 undergraduate Social Sciences students took part overall in this study. This project was funded by the Southlands Methodist Trust.