Frequently Asked Questions
About the Project
This project is match funded by Office for Students (formerly hefece) and Warwick University. Its a cross-institutional project, and we're working with several different departments on campus including the Student Union, Warwick Library, Warwick Sport, the Doctoral College, Warwick Arts Centre, the Chaplaincy, Mental Health & Well-being Services, IATL, Warwick Business School and the Dean of Student's Office.
Why is this research important?
While some PhD students have an amazing experience, others find the PhD process stressful and isolating. As a university, we would like to understand the PGR experience at Warwick and improve it so we can help students who may be struggling to have a better experience. The data from this project will give us insight into what its like to be a PhD student at Warwick, and help us change common issues that may arise during this process. For more information about the project including the use of data, see our participant information page.
What are the benefits for me of taking part?
There are lots of benefits to taking part in the Potential Advantage study! You'll learn more about your personality and well-being and get to track changes to these over time. You'll get to participate in fun activities developed to help you manage stress, get to meet other PGR's from other departments, and your participation will count towards your Professional Development Framework hours for SkillsForge. In addition, you'll be contributing to knowledge around the PGR student experience and how to improve this for future students. On top of all of this, for each part of the project you participate in, you'll be given an entry in our prize draw!
What is the prize draw and how does it work?
Our prize draw will run at the end of the Autumn academic term and again at the end of Spring academic term. Winners will be selected at random via a lottery system. For each part of the project you participate in, you'll gain one entry in the prize draw. See below for information on prizes and entry criteria.
Autumn Term:
Complete the October personality/well-being questionnaire: 1 entry
Take part in an activity for at least 5 weeks: 3 entries
Attend a focus group: 1 entry
Attend a one-to-one interview: 1 entry
Complete the December personality/well-being questionnaire: 1 entry
The Prize Draw will take place at the beginning of January 2019. Prizes include 20 £25 Eating at Warwick vouchers. Winners will be notified via email.
Spring Term:
Complete the January personality/well-being questionnaire: 1 entry
Take part in an activity for at least 5 weeks: 3 entries
Attend a focus group: 1 entry
Attend a one-to-one interview: 1 entry
Complete the April personality/well-being questionnaire: 1 entry
The Prize Draw will take place at the beginning of May 2019. Prizes include 20 £25 Eating at Warwick vouchers, 1 Warwick University hoodie (winner can choose their size), 10 sets of Warwick Student Cinema tickets (two per winner), 1 set of Warwick Arts Centre theatre/live music tickets, and 5 activity/gym passes to Warwick Sport. Additional prizes may also be announced later in the term. Winners will be notified via email.
About the Activities
Do I have to take part in the activities?
The activities are meant to be a fun way to help you manage the stress in your life as a research student, but we understand that not everyone has the time to participate in the activities. The activities do range in the amount of time commitment required (some are just 15 minutes per week!), however, if you'd prefer to just take the tests and track your personality/well-being at the beginning and end of each term you are welcome to do so! You'll still be given a Potential Advantage ID so you can track your personality and well-being over time, just click "I do not wish to participate in the activites" when the survey asks you to select your preferred activities.
Do I have to go to the activity I choose every week?
The more weeks you attend the well-being activity, the greater the likelihood you will see a positive impact on your well-being, however, we understand that some weeks it won't be possible to attend due to personal reasons. We ask that you try to make it to at least 5 weeks of the activity you have chosen in order to qualify for your prize draw entries.
Do the activities cost anything?
Nope! All Potential Advantage activities are completely free! You'll even get to keep the goodies you make if you sign up for one of the creative activities (i.e., knitting, getting creative, the green experience).
Do I have to book into the activities through the student union/warwick sport etc.?
Nope! We've taken care of all of that for you. As soon as you register with us, and you've received your email confirming your choice of activity, your spot in that activity is reserved through Potential Advantage.
About the Tests
What kind of personality tests do you use?
The Potential Advantage questionnaires use the 'Big 5' of personality theory to measure personality traits. This theory suggests that personality can be broken down into five traits: Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Extraversion, and Neuroticism. The Big 5 theory has been widely used in the personality literature, has been validated, and replicates well across studies. For more information on each of the traits listed above, visit our 'My Scores' page.
What kind of well-being tests do you use?
The Potential Advantage questionnaires measure life satisfaction and eudaimonic well-being. Life satisfaction measures how happy you are with the conditions of your life, and eudaimonic well-being measures your sense of meaning and purpose in life, in addition to other variables such as self-esteem, optimism and relationships. For more information on our well-being tests, visit our 'My Scores' page.
What kind of mental health indicator test do you use?
The Potential Advantage questionnaires use the 12-item General Health Questionnaire to measure mental distress. This questionnaire is not a clinical diagnosis of mental health issues or difficulties, it simply measures whether you are currently under an unusual amount of stress or are struggling to cope psychologically with your current conditions. For more information on our well-being tests, visit our 'My Scores' page.
