TITLE:
A Qualitative Exploration of Help-Seeking Process
AUTHORS:
Muna Abdullah Al-Bahrani
KEYWORDS:
Help-Seeking, Students, Qualitative, Omani Culture
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Applied Sociology,
Vol.4 No.7,
July
8,
2014
ABSTRACT: Matriculation
to college life can often pose adjustment problems that require identification
and help. This is especially true in societies where gender separation is the
norm. This qualitative study explores the help-seeking process from the
subjective and cultural perspective of Omani students. The processes of
help-seeking behavior within the Omani cultural framework are explored in terms
of recognizing, defining a problem, making decision, and selecting sources of
help. A triangulation methodology was used in this study that included two and
half months of observation and interaction at Sultan Qaboos University in the office of Deanship of Student Affairs,
the Counseling Center, and the Psychiatric Department of the university
hospital. Individual and focus-group interviews were conducted. The interviews
were, for the most part, extensive dialogues. Statistical documents in regard
to students’ academic probation as well as newspaper articles aided in
understanding the Omani help-seeking process. The results show that Omani
students experience multiple challenges that impact their psychological
adjustments. These challenges can be associated with the novelty of academic
life and the coeducational culture of the institution. Some freshmen face with
new expectations of learning as well as separation from their close ties, and struggle
to find a balance between some of their traditional points of reference and the
new sets of values to which they are exposed at Sultan Qaboos University. The
influence of traditional culture on the dynamics of problem recognition may be
expressed by anger and rejection, declining academic achievement, and violation
of religious principles. For these students, traditional values and religious
practices are seen as key coping mechanisms.