Possibilities to develop personal agency in students dealing with a difficult situation of shifting towards distance learning during the pandemic

Statement of the problem. The relevance of the problem of studying the phenomena of coping with new situations of forced long-term distance learning that have not been encountered before in student and teaching environment is determined by the search for adequate measures to support students. An increase in the number of dropouts, a decrease in educational motivation and quality of results are observed in the forecasts by specialists. The students’ personal agency is given a significant role in coping with a difficult situation, but there is no sufficient information on the phenomenology of this process. The purpose of the article is to study the phenomenology of a difficult situation perception among students (based on the example of a pedagogical university) during the change towards distance learning; to highlight typical ways of responding to it and opportunities for personal agency development. Research methodology. The authors have analyzed scientific literature on the factors of coping with a difficult situation in the pandemic, the effectiveness of distance learning for students, as well as survey data (n = 412) and content analysis of focus group interviews of students of the Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University named after V.P. Astafiev (n = 90), semi-structured interviews with teachers (n = 20). The interdisciplinary research has been carried out on the basis of a dynamic approach to the study of a difficult situation, revealing the assessment of both emotional and behavioral, activity aspects of the students’ coping behavior. Research results. A qualitative analysis of the students’ experiences has revealed differences in the ways of coping with a stress situation caused by epidemic (including being distressed for their close ones, fear of self-isolation, etc.) and the sudden move to a distance learning format: the situation suppresses some students emotionally, reduces their learning motivation and activity, while in others it evokes new skills in planning, self-regulation, and social activity. Positive attitude towards distance learning is demonstrated by both types of students in most cases, however, students who proactively adapt to the situation do not have a depressed mood, apathy, and decreased motivation. The students’ feelings depend on their experience of interacting with a group of teachers on a particular program. Teachers show insufficient empathy for the emotional state of students; however, they admit their own deficiencies in the organization of distance learning, which have made it difficult for students to cope with the situation. Conclusions. The results of the study show that the differences in methods of coping with a difficult situation are demonstrated by the students who differ in self-regulation skills, attitude to time as a resource for self-change, acquisition of new skills, professional and personal self-development. Institutional support for the development of personal agency is based both on the organization of a single educational space by rules and norms common to all subjects (students and teachers), and on psychological support for the development of new ways of personal and activity self-regulation.