The Phenomenon of the Corona-virus Crisis in the Essays of Students of Leisure Education at the Faculty of Theology of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice

The topic of the corona-virus crisis is current and data on the ways in which individual students experience this crisis and the impact on their studies or profession are not yet known. The conducted qualitative survey is therefore devoted to experiencing this crisis from the perspective of students and the importance of the foundations of their attitudes in coping with this challenging situation. Students of the bachelor’s programme Leisure Education were given an assignment – an authorial essay on the topic ‘I, my profession, and covid’. This was then phenomenologically analysed in order to determine the subjective level of experiencing the crisis. From a  sample of 182 essays, seven more general attitude codes were read. They illustrate students’ experiences and the way of coping with this phenomenon (using one’s personal attitude) and show the advantage of certain attitude codes (personal settings) for coping with a long-term crisis. The implications of the results are possible at two levels: they off er a methodological opportunity in comparative studies with the expected concurrent (methodologically diff erently constructed) studies of the corona-virus crisis and also point to the need for an active personal setting in a long-term crisis.


Introduction
When thinking about the method of data acquisition, we decided to use the potential of students whom we accompany during the studies, namely within the methodological specialisation of personal and social education in the bachelor's programme Leisure Education. Th e question 'I, my profession, and covid' was aimed at one's own experience of the phenomenon of the corona-virus crisis. It was stated in the clarifying instruction that these are their own considerations in any form and length, and that they are not subject to any evaluation. Subsequently, this question was 11 2021 evaluated by a phenomenological analysis of the essays. 1 A qualitative approach was then used to quantify students' attitudes to the crisis. We see the essence of the survey in understanding the student's attitude towards the new situation, in clarifi cation of the individual thought process which takes place due to the broader social context in terms of value or ethics. In terms of research focus and the outlined methodological and philosophical approach, it will be more advantageous to talk about the meaning of the research than about the goals of research. 2

On the Methodology
Th e sample thus consists of 182 submitted essays written by students of the course on free-time pedagogy who have been in contact with us, as teachers, for at least one semester and have submitted at least two or more essays in the format of open forms. What is meant by this? Students have repeatedly experienced the fact that the submitted authorial essay is not the subject of evaluation. Th e submitted authorial work is provided in order to receive feedback from other students only. From the position of a teacher, it is evaluated only on a scale with two items: submitted (the student met the requirements) or not submitted (the student did not meet requirements). Th is may, on the one hand, lead to content uncertainty, but on the other hand, this statement speaks about the writer's position more clearly. Th e aim of such a collection of research data is to obtain evidence of the inner experience of specifi c individual participants. In this way the statements can capture the phenomenon being studied authentically. Oft en it can be an unprofessional, naive, metaphorical testimony, with a personal or artistic overlap. However, from this partnership-like research perspective 'with people' , any authentic statement seems to be very valuable and it is inappropriate to evaluate it in any way, with regard to future pedagogical activities. Participants would then become objects of research 'on people' or, at least, 'about people' . 3 At present, the vast majority of quantitative data collection is based on anonymous data collection. Research uses electronic templates in the Internet environment, on social networks, or directly using databases of students and staff . Th e purpose is to collect the largest possible sample of respondents who answer the questions. In standard refl ection upon the way how to obtain quantifying data, we would focus on the subject of research and set goals regarding the research sample and research hypotheses. We know from our own experience that, due to the frequency of such questionnaire surveys, the motivation of respondents to participate in the survey and their real interest in questions and honest answers is gradually decreasing. We believe that the alternative is to return to a more personal way of investigating and to start with the questions that run through the minds of the respondents themselves.

Attitude as a Key to Research into the Phenomenon
Indeed, we believe that the outbreak of the virus and the impact on the entire population through government measures is a society-wide fact -a phenomenon. Th e problem is that the study and research into phenomena is currently downplayed. Let us recall the methodological assumptions.
In the methodological aspect we can start from the assumptions of constructivist theory which is summarised by František Jiránek in several points. He says that relationships really exist, the individual reveals them by his activity, and this activity develops from material activity into thought activity in connection with the development of abstraction, that is, the ability to take positions on the world which are conditioned more and more socially. Considering working with language, this specifi cally means that the meaning of the word cannot be shared by pointing at the designate. Th e individual must work towards it through his own activities and cooperation with others, especially with adults. 4 In connection with the study of the phenomenon of play, Jiří Černý points out the fact that, in general, we should not focus on what the phenomenon is, but on how this phenomenon is with us. 5 Th is creates a paradox of a qualitative view of the research into phenomena. Specifi cally, the corona-virus crisis is not research into the 'subject' of the corona-virus crisis. We do not explore the questions like what is a virus, what is a crisis, what will be the impact, which measures work medically, hygienically. Th e optics of research are shift ing towards the subject who is experiencing corona-crisis and is giving his testimony. Th e subject is an active factor in the synthesis of unexpected experiences evoked by the current situation and in the formulation of his own attitude to the situation. Th e prerequisite for the research is therefore the discovery of certain attitude codes in essays that tell us how specifi c individuals respond to this society-wide phenomenon. We therefore considered the basic research question over a long period of time and fi nally chose the open option of the written assignment on the topic: Me, my profession, and covid. Th e instructions again emphasised the essay as an open form. Th ere was the possibility of grasping the topic in any way. Th e essay is not subject to any evaluation of the text. Th e requirement was the submission of a text only. Th e text will not be evaluated in terms of content, literary character, spelling, or grammar. It was worthwhile to take this risk again, as with other texts within personal social education. With few exceptions, the texts ranged from one to three standard pages. As mentioned above, it was necessary to read all the essays carefully fi rst and to clarify the meaning of formulations by asking questions during the colloquia. If compared to the classic questionnaire survey, the whole process is extremely time consuming due to the size of the sample. However, we believe that, thanks to the use of a qualitative method, this provides a more authentic insight into the issue of personal experience. For these reasons, the widely quoted passages of the essays are longer, as they need to illustrate the ways in which the author's statement is formed -we also see the advantage of using a qualitative methodology in this. 6 We also believe that the discovered codes tell far more about the internal situation of the participants than the refuted or confi rmed hypotheses obtained from the answers to the researcher's questions in the questionnaire survey. From the mentioned sample of 182 essays (submitted by students of the bachelor's programme Leisure Education), seven with a more general attitude were removed, which illustrate the students' experience during the second wave of the corona-virus crisis.

It Is Just Like Th at
Th is type of attitude is defi ned by a certain formality or disinterest. Students extensively describe the current state, including realities from everyday life. Th e interesting thing here is a kind of alienation and falling into a stereotype. So I wonder if covid has infl uenced my life. Since I was mostly at home, it basically missed me. An 2021 exception was the situations where you had to go shopping or just for a walk with the children. I had to adapt to the regulations that were currently in force. One 'fought' a bit with one's opinion on this current situation and, at the same time, adapted to it. Were it not for the media 'hype' which was around this disease, I might not have even known that something was going on. But because it was talked about and written everywhere, I also lap up daily news and statistics over time. But if someone keeps telling you about the same thing over and over, you will become immune to it over time. You get used to it and it becomes annoying. You get used to it and start behaving accordingly. 7 Students with this type of attitude express themselves rather conventionally. Th ey said that this phenomenon is here and will be, it gave something and took something, and so it is. Th e most common message is that life goes on. Th ey hope that everything will be like before. As for the exam period, I hope we will not have to pass the exams through MS Teams. If so, we will have to do it. We cannot do anything about it. I am already looking forward to overcoming this period. Everything will be the same. We will go to school and to work, we will visit our acquaintances without fear and go to events with friends, and many other things which we used to do and which we miss now. 8 It is not yet known how long the school closure regulation will last. Entertaining children for a long time is not easy, both small and older ones. Although these regulations are unpleasant and restrictive, I am also trying to fi nd the positives. We will have to learn to live and function as before. And because life is like a mosaic of little joys, I enjoy time with my daughters. We cook and bake sweet things for my husband, we learn, we read, we watch movies together. Life goes on… 9 In the case of some students, there are formal clichés and the attempts to stay on top of things and to include conventional humour. Another fi nding today may be wearing masks. A year ago, no one would have thought that it would become part of ordinary fashion today and if you do not have it you are kind of special to people. It is a special time, but the main thing is to maintain common sense at this time:-). 10 If we interpret these statements in terms of content and form, then we will not receive unifying codes. Th e stressful situation is refl ected in the ability of a particular person to somehow face it, i.e., to approach it. For this group of students, it turns out that the situation does not aff ect them for the various reasons described above. It does not signifi cantly aff ect the dynamics of their personal involvement.

Frustration, Helplessness, Negation, Cynicism
In the next group, the attitude code is a certain emotional interest which is experienced through active negativity. In this respect, it brings frustration, actively expressed disinterest -poisoning, the desire for a radical solution, and, at the same time, the awareness of powerlessness.  11 Based on the emotional attitude set in this way, it is understandable that one would like to join a more radical attitude towards others. However, a kind of helplessness is still dominant. I believe that this type of attitude is very emotionally demanding for such people. Personally, measures as such are irritating for me, just like for almost everyone. I am trying to follow them as I am trying to be considerate of others. Th at is the only reason. I am not saying that I never break them, no one can probably say that. As long as I can and as long as I am out of the circle of my friends (those who do not have covid), among strangers, I follow the rules. I cannot know if the shopping assistant in the store has a health problem. If she does and she catches Covid, it would be a death sentence for her. My opinion is that strict regulations, such as a ban on going out or gatherings, had to be introduced by the government because of the irresponsible minority. Now everyone pays for it. It is the same principle as when in a factory, where all the production was done on time despite the fact that someone went to smoke or rest for a while during working hours, there are a few new people who just will not do anything during the whole working time. What can management do then? Well, they can put cameras on that hall to force them to do it. But then everyone pays for the behaviour of these few individuals. Nowadays, unfortunately, it is no longer possible to beat up those few individuals without risking a much larger penalty, although I think that would be the most eff ective step. 12 Th e internal tension of the student is very aptly described, as she chose, as a form of statement, a kind of concise commented statements, slogans, questions, shouts. At the level of attitude, there is a certain cynicism which is probably a defence against frustration from the unhappy emotional mood and the overall societal mood. Aft er all, other diseases have not disappeared, they are still here, they are all around us. Th ere is a fl u, sore throat, chicken pox, cancer, and so on…. Just because it is not discussed does not mean it is gone. And corona-virus is not the centre of the universe. 14 What is most appropriate for this attitude group, the attitude code? Emotional activity can be felt from the expression. Individuals do not fi nd satisfactory answers to the questions posed by the crisis. Th ey express their worries, frustration, dissatisfaction, anger.

Anxiety and Worries
Statements about anxiety and worries are oft en very strong. Th e basic code is a certain defensive attitude. Something is going on, we do not have it under control, and we are worried about how it will all turn out. Even if we try to stay calm, doubts come into one's mind. Due to the lack of pedagogical practice and less life experience, younger students focus on themselves and their problems regarding studies more oft en. Th ere are oft en statements about experiencing one's own inability to organise time, inability to concentrate, and the need for external motivation. How has this gloomy covid time aff ected me? I probably feel the biggest loss in the area of my studies. I am a person who does not have a strong will and patience which is quite a minus when studying from home.  15 In the following statement, the student describes the diffi cult situation in the household and the need for a kind of mental hygiene or even the possibility of authorial essays as a therapy.  16 Older students studying in the distance form worry about relationships in a broader social framework. Jiránek's thesis confi rms this fact when saying (in several points) that relationships really exist, the individual reveals them by his activity, this activity develops from material activity into thought activity in connection with the development of abstraction, that is, the ability to take positions on the world which are conditioned more and more socially. In the following example, this relationship framework is very well illustrated by worries about the fate of the individual being brought up. It is also an illustration of a very signifi cant pedagogical commitment and, at the same time, a real ability to ask about the broader context of the (non)sense of pedagogical work.  18 If we try to interpret these statements in terms of content and form, then we will not receive unifying codes again. In this case, however, the stressful situation signifi cantly aff ects the personality structures. Individuals feel very strong pressure and some responsibility for the eff ects of the situation on themselves, sometimes others. However, they are really defensive when expressing their attitudes, there is even some helplessness. And that increases their sense of anxiety and fear.

Stop, Challenge
In order to illustrate this attitude group well, I will give an example that corresponds, in terms of content, to the example of the essay in the previous chapter. Th e author also struggles with the loss of a loved one, even her own child. However, she fi nds liberation in a specifi c activity -meaningful work. Th is activity leads her out of despair, and thus her attitude changes.

My son passed away and I felt a deep sorrow and the whole country mourned with me… My work and my school literally saved me. Th e fact that I could do such a worthy and meaningful job every day, at least for a little while, was like a balm for my soul pain. I sewed masks. Really, I am not joking. 2021
Our school turned into one perfectly functioning and cooperative little factory. Something that could have saved our lives. And so we looked for fabrics, cut, and ironed. Finally, we sewed such beautiful masks which our director was giving to all who needed them.… So how did the epidemic change and aff ect my profession and my life? I think it restricted me in moving, but I also got something in return. I was given time, time to stop, time to think, and last but not least, time to get to know my own self. 19 Th e following sample from the essay shows how the student actively, purposefully, and consciously changes her attitude. She does not take the situation passively, she does not feel socially determined. She realises that there is a lot of room for change in her own approach. In this respect, she is probably trying to implement Frankl's thesis which says that we cannot change social circumstances, but we can change our attitude to them. 20 It is also very interesting to notice a certain internal dialogue that helps her to change this attitude.  21 If we should describe, in any way, the diff erence in attitudes between the fi rst (more formal) attitude group and this third group, then we can characterise it using the message of the last lines of the example. Th e author expresses some hope for a change in human behaviour which will lead to responsibility. He believes that covid is a challenge for us to make this change, and he wants to accept the challenge.
Economists quantify the state's debt and the huge fi nancial consequences, and, in fact, the whole of society adds up the losses. I look forward to being able to fully practice my teaching profession again. However, nobody knows under what conditions we will be allowed to teach. I think the corona-virus will remain part of our society. We will have to adapt and live by its side. Many people have already realised this. Unfortunately, some have stopped looking left or right, and they are heading forward. In the same way as they did before Covid-19 and its addition to dictionaries. Th ey are forgetting this message of nature to humanity. But I do not want to go back. We have new challenges, opportunities. Th ese can be the spice of our lives and professions. 22 In terms of content, these statements also apply to study challenges. Despite internal uncertainty and doubt, however, the active attitude prevails. Th ere are also testimonies of students who have already suff ered through the disease and somehow had to react. Th is example outlines a change in attitude due to this illness. Th e author describes a kind of relaxation, a better mood. Although he has respect for the disease, his defensive attitude is weakened. Aft er overcoming the disease, I am generally more relaxed and in a better mood. Before, I was afraid that I would get the disease and I did not know what the course might be. So I respect the disease, I follow all the regulations, I do not meet my parents, grandparents, or anyone else in the family. However, I manage my fear far better than at the beginning… and I still do not read or watch the news on TV… 24

Performance Provocation
Initially, it seemed that the following attitude code could be purely specifi c with regard to the student's profession. However, then the idea prevailed that it might be the other way around. A certain profession attracts people with a certain attitude towards the world. Although there are only three statements in this attitude group, it is good to see this performance attitude as more general. In addition to a soldier and a policeman, a policewoman is also represented. In terms of attitude, these people are very motivated by the unexpected situation, they discover new energy. Th ey are fortunate enough to have a profession which was the right choice for them professionally and humanly and to be able to help others. In the fi rst example, this is an attitude that is essentially accelerated by the crisis. Th e student is aware of the value of his job in the army. It even refers to essays that have already been submitted. In his considerations, he clarifi es his almost passionate idea of the possibilities of further education. And he also refers to broader socially conditioned behaviour in terms of his function. My profession is quite specifi c at the moment. If I present it in a fi gurative way, we practice, fi ght, or wait for a catastrophe…… During this work, one actually realises what one is studying. Th anks to my studies, I am slowly (but surely) getting into the issue. I found out that working in the armed forces, specifi cally in the military, is closely linked to pedagogy and psychology. Given

Deep Accepting Essays
Th e following essay expresses something that could be called a certain art of understanding. Th e student actively works to make sure that her understanding (considering the client and herself) takes the right direction. She wants to fi nd the meaning in the area of activity and self-acceptance. Despite the fact that the world still revolves around covid, our world is full of other worries that we have to deal with. It is not an easy situation, but I have fi ghters in my family who have to win over those health problems. I fi rmly believe that they will win. One small victory happened in my profession. Due to complications regarding the practice, it was possible to work individually with a lady in a wheelchair who has spinal muscular atrophy. Sometimes it is not a simple practice, but somehow, internally, this work fulfi ls me a lot. Maybe  i.e., working from home, which is oft en used. People talk a lot about modern technologies that help to replace the lack of personal contact (a home offi ce, distance learning, or just regular calls). As Dalibor Špok states, distance psychotherapy is a new experience for him as well. I agree with him that a lot of people cannot be just with themselves. Th ey are afraid to admit the problem. Th ey suspect that something is wrong, and that they should change it. Th is requires eff ort and sacrifi ce, patience and time. It is said that the crisis is a chance for change. Every cloud has a silver lining. Perhaps I have a gift to see something good in bad situations and make it useful somehow. In any case, the current situation will make everyone realise that nothing is a matter of course. One needs to appreciate seemingly ordinary things, such as the opportunity to sit with someone and have a coff ee. I am lucky enough to have a job that is intended for those who would not have a chance otherwise. Th anks to that, I know what a home offi ce is. And today this fact is becoming more important. People experience more anxiety, depression, and loneliness, similar to those with mental health problems. Since I have known this for many years, I am ready for it. I know what to expect and what to do. It will not surprise me. So these are the positives of the time we are currently experiencing, at least for me … 28 Distance A total of seven essays with their attitude message were somehow diffi cult to classify, and could not be included among the more general codes. Th ey are either unaff ected by any emotion or they deny the problem. Some completed the task only. With their attitude, they distance themselves from the problem, from the assignment, from social events. My opinion is that this is one big global farce, and our government is the worst. 29

Summary of Data
As announced at the beginning of the study, the basic research question was to fi nd out the thought process of individuals which takes place due to the broader social context (in terms of value or ethics). We wanted to know what kind of attitude students have to the new situation. Based on this consideration and qualitative analysis of the submitted works, it can be concluded that students have seven attitude types (codes), which were described above, for the corona-virus crisis. In terms of quantitative ratios, a total of 182 essays (statements) were distributed as follows: 1. 63 respondents, i.e., 35%, express themselves within the attitude code 'It is just like that' . 2. 15 respondents, i.e., 8%, express themselves within the attitude code 'Frustration, helplessness,