The purpose of this study is to examine the first-year students’ experience in college during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide a better understanding of their daily life. Using inductive content analysis, this study examined the characteristics and experiences of students who started college during the COVID-19 period in South Korea. We analyzed 623 pieces of content, using data presented by a total of 81 study subjects. From this analysis, we derived 22 primary keywords, which we divided into eight categories, and then reclassified into three general topics: self-awareness (i.e., self-reflection), activities (i.e., engagement in activities), and resources (i.e., creating relationships or producing results). The results showed that, although first-year college students experienced difficulties in adapting to the COVID-19 situation, they tried to cope with them. Our findings shed light on the experiences of college students who experienced psychological problems during the COVID-19 pandemic and overcame related challenges.

The psychological burnout experienced by teachers is not merely a personal issue; it is a significant social problem that impacts the entire educational environment. This study utilised Q methodology to identify the subjective perceptions of psychological burnout among Korean secondary school teachers and then analysed the characteristics of these perception types. An analysis of 34 statements and a P sample of 30 teachers resulted in four types of perceptions regarding teachers’ psychological burnout: ‘burnout due to damaged self-esteem’ (Type 1), ‘burnout due to organisational neglect’ (Type 2), ‘burnout due to excessive role demands’ (Type 3) and ‘burnout due to disrespectful behaviour’ (Type 4). This study’s meaningfulness is in its classification of teachers’ psychological burnout into types and its exploration of the types’ features. The results can also help in developing specific intervention programmes for each type.

This study explores prospective teachers’ perceptions of school violence and their role in addressing it. Using a mixed method called Q methodology, we quantitatively analyzed the subjective views of 37 prospective teachers. Based on 33 statements, the study categorizes teachers’ roles in managing school violence and analyzes the characteristics of each role type. The research results provide basic data for prospective teachers to develop their capabilities as experts in dealing with school violence. The study identifies the following three types of teachers: prevention-oriented (Type 1), reality-avoiding (Type 2), and legal-regulation-oriented (Type 3). Type 1 emphasizes that teachers can significantly prevent school violence and believes that trusting relationships between teachers and students are key to reducing school violence. Type 2 teachers tend to ignore school violence out of fear of harm, even though they acknowledge its seriousness. Type 3 emphasizes the strict enforcement of legal responsibilities and rules, believing that clear regulations and punishments are essential for reducing school violence. This study highlights the need for customized educational programs that reflect the characteristics of different teacher types in handling school violence. It suggests incorporating practical strategies for preventing and responding to school violence in teacher training, expanding mental-health education, and promoting cooperative conflict-resolution methods between students and teachers.

University students face increased stress and potential school burnout amid rapid digital transformation and competitive academic environments, yet little is known about how socioemotional processes explain the link between burnout and life satisfaction. This study examined how school burnout affects life satisfaction, mediated by loneliness and fear of alienation. A cross-sectional survey of 1783 students was conducted to measure school burnout, loneliness, fear of alienation, and life satisfaction. Structural equation modeling showed that school burnout had a significant negative direct effect on life satisfaction, mediated by loneliness. Higher burnout predicted greater loneliness, which in turn lowered life satisfaction. Although school burnout positively predicted fear of alienation, fear of alienation showed a complex association, with a positive direct path to life satisfaction. However, when loneliness was considered in the full mediation model, the overall indirect effect remained significantly negative. The sequential mediation pathway (school burnout → loneliness → fear of alienation → life satisfaction) highlighted how students’ social disconnection can intensify concerns about exclusion, ultimately affecting their well-being. These findings extend the literature by clarifying the socioemotional mechanisms linking school burnout and life satisfaction. Interventions should address academic demands and bolster emotional support, including resilience training, social skills development, and community-building programs, to mitigate loneliness and manage alienation concerns, thereby promoting students’ life satisfaction and psychological wellness.

This study explores how university students experience conversational artificial intelligence (AI) in the era of generative AI from the perspectives of algorithmic intimacy, social connection, well-being, and autonomy, and identifies their subjective meaning structures. Specifically, it examines how university students perceive conversational AI in relation to emotional regulation, self-understanding, relational boundaries, and autonomy, and how these perceptions relate to intimacy and well-being. Unlike previous studies focused primarily on AI use and acceptance, this study analyses how students interpret their experiences with conversational AI and negotiate relational boundaries. Using Q methodology, we developed 40 Q statements from literature review and in-depth interviews. Fifty-six university students in South Korea with experience using conversational AI completed the Q-sorting process. A four-factor solution explained 55% of the total variance and yielded four distinct types: (1) Relationship-Negating Instrumentalists, (2) Selective Emotional Utilizers, (3) Reflective Distancers, and (4) Autonomy Defenders. Although none of the groups viewed AI as a complete substitute for human relationships, they differed in their acceptance of algorithmic intimacy, use of AI for emotional support and regulation, concerns about dependence, and efforts to protect autonomy. These findings suggest that conversational AI experiences involve negotiating intimacy and boundaries rather than producing uniformly positive or negative outcomes. This study complements variable-centred approaches by identifying distinct subjective meaning structures in university students’ human–AI relationship experiences.