CULTURAL SHOCK AND ACADEMIC CULTURE IN POST-COVID 19 PERIOD

Purpose – This study aims to analyze the levels of Culture Shock (CS) that university students manifest after the period of Distance Learning and physical return to university structures. The research deals with the phenomenon from the theoretical perspective of human resource development (HRD). Design/methodology/approach –Data were collected through a Mumford (1998) questionnaire for the measurement of culture shock (CSQ). 341 questionnaires were collected. The survey sample is made up of university students from 5 Italian universities. Statistical analyzes were carried out to test the hypotheses. Originality/value – The main innovation of this study consists in evaluating the culture shock of university students, in the phase of returning to university structures, after the distance learning period. Additionally, the study offers an original application to Mumford's (1998) CSQ questionnaire. Findings - The results show that university students suffer from culture shock upon returning to university structures after the distance learning. The category of university students most affected by culture shock are women, from large universities with an average age of over 30 Practical implications – The results of this study show that universities should focus their attention on the psychological and emotional well-being of students