The relationship between resilience and student success among a sample of South African engineering students

Abstract

There is a growing need to understand the role of non-cognitive factors in relation to university students’ academic performance and successful adaptation to university life. This study investigated the relationship between the non-cognitive factor “resilience” and student success (academic performance, turnover intentions, brain-body optimisation) among South African university students. This cross-sectional correlational study analysed data from 360 first-year students. Self-report data were collected using the Neurozone Assessment, comprising two subscales: the Brain Performance Diagnostic and the Resilience Index. Turnover intentions were assessed using the Neurozone Assessment, and students’ academic marks were obtained via the university’s management information system. Correlational analyses revealed significant positive relationships between the Stress Mastery and Positive Affect components of resilience and academic performance, a significant negative relationship between the Positive Affect component of resilience and turnover intentions, as well as significant positive relationships between brain-body optimisation and all three components of resilience (Stress Mastery, Positive Affect, and Early-Life Stability). Through regression analyses, we identified the behavioural predictors that underlie resilience and outline a framework for implementing behavioural interventions to enhance resilience and increase student success. Resilience is an important non-cognitive determinant of student success in first-year students.

Keywords:

• academic performance
• engineering students
• resilience
• student success

PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT

There are several factors that influence how well first-year students adapt to university life and perform well academically. In the past, universities have largely tended to focus on factors related to intellectual ability or subject knowledge, not taking into account the psychological factors that might also contribute to success at university. One such psychological factor is called resilience: the ability to adapt, cope, and learn in the face of challenges and stressors. This study investigated the relationship between resilience and student success (i.e., academic performance, drop-out intentions, and brain-body optimisation) in engineering students at a South African university. Results show that students with higher resilience perform better academically, are less likely to drop out of university, and have better brain-body optimisation. Therefore, enhancing students’ resilience should enhance their chances of success at university. Additionally, this study statistically identified which behavioural interventions (e.g., bedtime consistency, practicing gratitude, cultivating a sense of meaning in life) will enhance students’ resilience.

Disclosure statement

Authors M. van Wyk, T. K. Phillips, and P. E. van der Walt work for an organisation that develops behavioural assessments and interventions.

Author contribution

Authors at Neurozone (M. van Wyk, Phillips, & van der Walt) are primarily focused on researching resilience and the factors that compromise it or enable it to be enhanced. This research draws broadly from neuropsychology, systems science, and organizational psychology. While these authors study resilience for the general population, they have foci in occupational settings (e.g., organizations) and in populations that may be more susceptible to threats to their resilience (e.g., young adults such as university students). Hence, the authors sought in the current paper to investigate the relationship between resilience and a student population residing in a low- to middle-income country, where threats to resilience also tend to be higher. Authors affiliated with Tshwane University of Technology (Mason & B. van Wyk) shared interests with the Neurozone-affiliated authors in enhancing the resilience of university students with specific reference to engineering students.

Data Availability Statement

In line with the type of consent obtained from participants, the data supporting the findings of this study will be made available upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was made possible in part by the 2018/9 University Capacity Development Grant (UCDG) of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), the Higher Education and Support (HEDS) division at the Tshwane University of Technology. This grant sponsored the Haaga-Helia participation and supported the collection of the required data;

Notes on contributors

Mariza van Wyk

Mariza van Wyk (PhD) is a clinical neuropsychologist with clinical and research experience in both the private and public health sectors in South Africa. She has also completed specialised training at international institutions in the United Kingdom and Germany. Mariza has over 10 years’ experience in applied neuroscience research and has published several peer-reviewed articles across different disciplines. These disciplines include clinical psychology, sleep medicine, cognitive neuroscience, and early-childhood development. Mariza is currently the Head of Science at Neurozone.

Henry D Mason

Henry Mason (Ph.D.) is a social science researcher at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in Pretoria, South Africa. He is registered as a Psychologist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa and holds a Y-rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF) in South Africa. Besides publishing more than 40 articles in scientific journals, Henry has also read over 100 papers at conferences. Henry’s research interests focus on studying the role and application of positive psychology and non-intellective factors in relation to student success.

Barend J van Wyk

Barend van Wyk has a passion for technology and the demystification and communication of complex technological, scientific, educational, and management concepts in a novel and fun way. He studied at various institutions, including the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of the Witwatersrand, where he obtained his Ph.D. He has more than 12 years of industry experience in telecommunications and aerospace engineering, has been an academic for 15 years, is an NRF-rated researcher who has published more than 173 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers and has successfully supervised/co-supervised more than 44 doctoral and master’s students. His research interests include artificial and computational intelligence, machine learning, and engineering education.

Tyler K. Phillips

Tyler K. Phillips is a junior research psychologist who recently graduated from the University of Cape Town with a Master of Arts in Psychological Research. His interests include the social psychology of sexuality and gender, as well as the neuropsychology of resilience. Tyler has experience in sleep research (including the application and monitoring of polysomnography), legal consultation (specifically, child custody supervision), screening procedures for systematic reviews, conducting focus groups, interviews, and test batteries, and teaching psychology to undergraduates.

P. Etienne van der Walt

Etienne van der Walt is an accomplished neurologist with a special interest in psychoneuroimmunology and systems biology. Etienne’s 14-year career as a clinical neurologist means he has a deep understanding of the anatomy, biology, and physiology of the brain and the human nervous system. For another decade, Etienne has been spearheading Neurozone, a neuroscience business dedicated to the application of brain science and analytics to enhance true resilience and high-performance capacity.