Protective Factors Contributing to Academic Resilience in College Students During COVID-19

Abstract

ABSTRACT We sought to examine the potential environmental protective factors contributing to academic resilience among college students during emergency distance education. Data were collected from a sample of undergraduate students (n = 195) representing various majors and academic classifications. Our study results revealed that students perceived their motivation and comprehension of course material during emergency distance education as significantly lower than those before emergency distance education. Moreover, over 26% of the participants reported a decreased GPA during this period. However, a positive physical learning environment and student-perceived teacher academic support benefited students’ academic performance. Interestingly, the physical learning environment positively predicted teacher academic support, β=.31, t(193) = 4.32, p < .001. The physical learning environment also explained a significant proportion of variance in teacher academic support scores, R 2 = .08, F(1, 193) = 16.25, p < .001, suggesting student perceptions of teacher support partially depends on their physical learning environment. Finally, students that had a higher classification were more likely to report an increased GPA; seniors were better at coping with the negative effects of emergency distance education than juniors and sophomores.