Undergraduates’ Resilience, coping and Academic Achievement Benjamin Bruneau, University of Greenwich

Presentation: Overview The Study: Background Aim and Rationale Design and Methods Measure and interview approach Results Discussion Conclusions

Study: Background Undergraduates experience additional stress when they move into the university environment (Harvey et al., 2006; Rowley et al., 2008) The majority of these undergraduates complete their courses successfully in spite of stress levels (Gadzella, 1999) Previous research has suggested that resilience might be associated with the management of their studies (Nandino et al., 2003) This association has, however, not been empirically tested

Study: Aim To investigate: the relation between undergraduates’ resilience (made up of self-esteem, optimism and perceived control), coping strategies, and their academic achievement

Research deficit in assessing the components of resilience and coping Study: Rationale Research deficit in assessing the components of resilience and coping Resilience and coping strategies Predictors Academic Achievement

Study: Design & Methods longitudinal survey using groups of first year undergraduates 1st Measure: (Start of first term) Informed consent; Questionnaire 2nd Measure: (Start of 2nd term) Questionnaire 3rd. Measure: (End of first academic year) Questionnaire 4th. Measure: (Start of second academic year) Questionnaire; semi-structured interview with participant who show trends significant to the study (participants come from within the original groups) 13 – 14 weeks 12 – 13 weeks

Measure: Questionnaire Student Life stress Inventory (SLSI; Gadzella, 1994) Coping Operations Preference Enquiry (COPE; Carver, Scheier, and Weintraub, 1989) Resilience Scale (RS; Major, Cooper, Cozzarelli and Zubek, 1998) Demographic questions Achievement questions

Interview Approach Semi-structured interviews Interviews were based upon emerging issues from completed questionnaires Participants were recruited using the personal details they had voluntarily provided in their completed questionnaires Randomly selected sample Interviews were audio-taped

Study: Results Participants 578 undergraduates from two similar universities completed the questionnaire at the four identified intervals 13 of these undergraduates were individually interviewed

Study: Results (i) STRESS There was significant increase in undergraduates’ scores in the following dimensions: Frustrations Conflicts Physiological reactions to stress Cognitive appraisal reactions to stress

Study: Results (i) Undergraduates spoke of the demands' of studying at university “Work! The amount of (academic) work! (First female interviewee, Int.F1) “…I was overwhelmed …with academic work.” (Int. F 2) “My main problem was the management of time and the ways to do things at university. … I had a lot of coursework, particularly lab work to deal with.” (Int.F3)

Study: Results (i) Preoccupation with financial issues Eh! Financially. Actually was the biggest problem I had (to cope) with… “In the summer holidays I was paying off my debt that I had incurred in the first year. … Money is a big problem. It will always be.” (Int. M13) “…I am also quite worried about my financial situation. I have taken a loan to pay for my fees. I am thinking about my debt. I will have to pay back... (Int. M9) “I do not completely put aside the thought that I

Study: Results (i) Issues with interpersonal relationships “…Boyfriend trouble. I have had a boyfriend for four years. We are now apart. I tried everything to fix our relationship, but it did not work. He lives in (a different country in Europe is mentioned) and now I live here.” (Int. F4) “…My last pressure must be to do with my relationships with my colleagues and friends here. …I see myself unable to mix properly with others. At times I think others are getting on well with each other and they are ‘clicky’, and I do what I can about my relationships” (Int. F6)

Study: Results (ii) COPING Undergraduates’ scores on the fifteen coping strategies found in the COPE scale within the questionnaire, consistently went up from measure to measure, although there was no significance between the scores.

Study: Results (ii) COPING In the face of adversity, undergraduates were mainly prepared to think through the stressors and, to a large extent, question themselves, in a positive way, on what they could do about these stressors “If I am under stress, I have to look at what is making me stressed. “I find myself thinking: I do not normally feel this way. Why do I feel this way?” (Int. M9)

Study: Results (ii) COPING “If you work hard, do something about it, it will be okay.” (Int. M12) “Initially I am overwhelmed with a problem. But the next day I face it. If I don’t do it, who will do it? It is a question I often ask myself.” (Int. F5) “I think through the problem and use waiting as a coping approach” (Int. F 4) “The piece of advice I would give to first years (first-year students) is to get involved as much as possible.” (Int.M10)

Study: Results (iii) RESILIENCE Undergraduates’ resilience scores, as well as their individual resilience component scores, progressively and significantly increased over the measure period

Study: Results (iii) RESILIENCE Undergraduates were generally confident about their self-worth; they spoke about their self-esteem in terms of the positive attitude they took toward themselves. They related to the future by mentioning that they would cope with obstacles as they have done in the past For their control in the environment, they generally believed that they would merely comply with what was required of them

Study: Results (iv) CORRELATIONS There was no association between coping strategies used by the undergraduates, their stress levels, and their resilience Undergraduates who thought they had little or no control over events in the university environment were more prepared to go to others in this environment for advice and support in order to cope and were more likely to pass their courses at first attempt, than those who felt more in control of these events

Discussion Undergraduates undertake their studies with the knowledge and expectation that new and extra demands will be made upon them They feel prepared to cope with these demands They learn to manage these demands and do so by seeking support from resources external to them These resources are expected by the undergraduates to be within the confines of the university environment This expectation has implications for institutional policy making and information giving

Conclusions Frustrations and conflicts are persistent and stable stressors throughout at least the first year of undergraduate studies. Although undergraduates perceive situations as stressful many of them have a well-developed understanding of the demands in the university environment Lower perceived control is related to a higher use of information and resources from others in order to cope with stress There is a relationship between the seeking of information and assistance from others in order to cope, and academic achievement at the first attempt.

Conclusions Academic achievement does not correlate with resilience per se Perceived control is the only one of the three components of resilience to be associated with coping The undergraduates’ beneficial search for information on their learning activities can be facilitated and enhanced by the university student services system’s establishment and wider offer of learning skills centres and learning communities.

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