Exploring the Relationships Between Resilience and Student Performance in an Engineering Statics Class: A Work in Progress

Abstract

Prior studies have identified the importance of resilience to success both in life and in the workplace. Resilience is also a valued professional skill for academic achievement and student retention in cognitively demanding disciplines such as engineering. However, only limited efforts have been made to characterize how resilience impacts the academic engagement, performance, and retention of engineering students. This study is the first in a program of studies that will map academic resilience, through the measurement of “protective factors” such as optimism and adaptability, with academic performance, as well as identify students at risk of dropping out of their engineering major. In this exploratory study, we examined differences in a group of engineering students on four resilience measures. Participants included 111 engineering students enrolled in six sections of statics taught by one instructor. Participants completed the Psychometric Project Resilience Scale (PPRS) survey online as well as the academic performance requirements for the course. The 50-item instrument surveyed students on five constructs indicative of resilience: adaptability; self-sufficiency; self-control; optimism; and persistence. Learning performance was based on three mid-examinations intended to assess students’ knowledge of the course. The psychometric properties of the instrument used to assess resilience factors were examined and student groups were compared on resilience and performance measures. Results of the study showed that transfer students seemed to struggle more with resilience and academic performance. Differences between gender and race groups in terms of resilience and academic performance were insignificant. Implications of study findings and direction for future studies of resilience among engineering students are discussed.