Navigating the New Normal: An S-O-R Perspective on Student Experiences of Environmental, Psychological, and Behavioral Changes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Although higher education has weathered many past challenges, none can compare with the magnitude and velocity of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Although students continued their academic careers despite hardships, as yet little is known about how they experienced and adapted to various pandemic-induced changes to their academic and personal lives. We address this gap through a qualitative exploration of student experiences of navigating the new normal which they were abruptly thrust into near the end of the Spring 2020 semester. Using a guided introspection methodology and a Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, we unearth a dynamic process of psychological and behavioral changes that students experienced in response to the environmental changes brought about by the pandemic. We theorize that environmental dissolution and displacement trigger psychological reorientation, causing students to undertake behavioral practices of restructuration and reconfiguration that, over time, result in a degree of psychological revaluation. Our overall framework represents a fluid conceptualization that is not only more descriptive of real-world student progress but also more parsimonious in its account of key dimensions of student experience during the pandemic. We conclude by noting the implications of our framework for marketing educators and administrators, especially given the growing popularity of remote working.