Study Crafting and Self-Undermining in Higher Education Students: A Weekly Diary Study on the Antecedents

The aim of the current study is to validate the adaptation of the job demands–resources theory to the study context. In addition, we introduce the concepts study crafting and self-undermining to the study demands–resources framework by examining the mediating role of engagement and exhaustion in the relationship between study characteristics and study crafting and self-undermining. Over four consecutive weeks, 205 higher education students answered a questionnaire about their weekly study demands and resources, their well-being (i.e., engagement, exhaustion), and their study crafting and self-undermining behaviors. Multilevel structural equation modeling (controlling for autoregressors of mediators and dependent variables from the previous week) demonstrated a positive relationship between study resources and study crafting mediated by engagement, as well as a positive relationship between study demands and self-undermining mediated by exhaustion. Our findings show that even short-term fluctuations in study characteristics affect students’ well-being and, in turn, their proactive and dysfunctional behaviors. Accordingly, universities should provide a resource-rich study environment and limit study demands as much as possible. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that students can also actively influence their study environment themselves.