2025/07/29 by Faming Wang, Peiqi Huang, Yueyang Xi +1 · 3 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Resilience and Mental Health #COVID-19 and Mental Health #Youth Development and Social Support
paper · pdf · doi:10.1007/s10734-025-01484-2
Abstract Resilience, the capability to recover from adversities and adapt to challenges, is essential for university students to succeed academically, personally, and socially in the competitive landscape of the twenty-first century. Much of the prior research has explored the role of individual psychological factors in resilience. However, resilience does not develop within a vacuum and is strongly shaped by the context. Hence, studies that only focus on individual psychological factors might present an incomplete picture, ignoring the role of the higher education environment. This study focused on the potential role of university teaching and learning environments in fostering resilience. We employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design to investigate their associations. The quantitative study analyzed data from 1,068 university students through structural equation modelling. We found that students who engaged in more active learning activities and whose teachers provided them with clear goals and standards were more likely to be resilient. The qualitative study was designed to better understand the underlying mechanisms behind the association between teaching and learning environments and student resilience. Through in-depth interviews with 15 university students, the qualitative findings demonstrated how various aspects of teaching and learning environments contribute to the development of resilience. Additionally, individual coping strategies and peer support emerged as key elements that shaped resilience other than teaching and learning environments. These findings underscore the crucial role of enhancing teaching and learning environments, helping students develop coping strategies, and leveraging peer support to foster university students’ resilience.