Turning around academic performances: Academic resilience … · 2017-04-17 · Turning around academic performances: Academic resilience among ‘at-risk’ university students Haskayne

Turning around academic performances: Academic resilience among ‘at-risk’ university students

Haskayne School of Business

Naor Cohen, PhD

NACADA, Region 8 conferenceMissoula, MTApril, 2017

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Resilience

Can we teach resilience just as we do any other skill? And can PSE create a resilience fostering mechanism, in which resilience is its outcome?

“Process of, capacity for, or outcome of successful adaptation despite challenging circumstances”

Academic Resilience

Academic resilience is the capacity to overcome acute and/or chronic adversity that is seen as a major threat to a student’s educational development. As such it is relevant to:

— Debilitation in the face of chronic failure— Disaffection and alienation from school— High attrition rates

(Martin & Marsh, 2008a, 2008b, 2009)

The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS)

Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC2)

Baruth Protective Factors Inventory (BPFI)

6 items

Resilience as an outcome

2 items

Resilience as an outcome

16 items

Resilience as an asset

“It is hard for me to snap back when something bad happens”

“Tend to bounce back after illness or hardship.”

“I have been able to make ‘the best out of a bad situation’ a number of times.”

N=128 & N=64 StudentsN=112 Cardiac patientsN=50 Fibromyalgia woman

N=386 Clinical patientsN=458 General population

N=98Undergraduate students

Smith et al., 2008 Vaishnavi, Conor & Davidson, 2007

Baruth and Carroll, 2002

Resilience measurements

Core exploratory questions

What are the challenges or threats to students success?

How do students experience and perceive these challenges?

Can we teach and cultivate Academic Resiliency among our ‘at risk’ students?

Our study

Consider the challenges you are facing with, their likely causes, and their impact on your overall success and wellbeing

What is a manageable change that can be made immediately?

48% female, 52% male.

48% first year; 22% second year; rest are 3 year and above.

86% are domestic students and 14% international.

Average GPA 1.568

Findings

Findings: coding process

LonelinessIsolationHaving friendsSocial lifeHealthy eating Note taking after lecturePlanning and organizationRelaxationReview timeStaying engagedTaking time offPressure to performToo much free timeWanting to appear smartExpectations

Self imageTrust issuesImmigrationFuture view of selfPersonal valuesAnxietyBeing bulliedDepressionSocial anxietyStressBurnoutStress eatingAlcoholPornographyPersonal growthEating disorderDrugsFinancial issues

Death of a relativeLow self esteemLack of confidenceHomesickInternational studentsCourt casePersonal insecurityLazinessHigh school mentalityScheduling issuesNo reason for working hardGiving upLack of effective study skillsLack of engagement

Underestimate workloadCrammingDoing poor on examsMotivationVideo gamesLanguage proficiencyWork and school balanceClass attendanceConcentration and focusPassion for businessTransition into a new environmentHope





















Thematic findings

Locus of control & Motivation

Learning orientation

Interpersonal relationships

Academic success

What stands in students’ way of developing a positive learner identity and being successful?

Personal life circumstances

Thematic findings: Personal life circumstances

“Another thing that could have contributed to my performance would be the passing of my grandfather last year, which has changed my family dynamic drastically. As a result, there is very little stability at home and it has provided a significant amount of stress for my brother and I. Some members of our family are currently struggling with substance abuse (alcohol), and it has been very draining for everyone” (29).

“I started the school year with $0 in my bank account – all my student loans went to tuition and paying for residence. The stress of not having money for food and no financial support from my family was something I thought about constantly” (20).

“In my time at university I have struggled with achieving academic success. In the past year is has been especially difficult mainly due to mental health issues. These mental health problems, including depression and anxiety, have exacerbated other difficulties I have experienced and I have not reached out for the support that I needed to succeed” (26).

Thematic findings: Interpersonal relationships

“I went to a UofC club for almost one year before the University began, but I did not actually find friends there. I thought it would change when I start my studies. I tried to step out of my comfort zone during the Orientation Week, participated in many events and met a lot of people! However, I have not seen them since, except for one girl. We both had same class (different time) and tried to help each other out. We didn’t intersect after the fall semester ended. It stopped bothering me, because I understood that even if I met people (potential friends) in current semester, I would not be able to keep in contact with them. In the next term these people will have completely different schedule, study in a different building and finish at different time. Even though I accepted this idea, it is still lonely sometimes” (27).

Thematic findings: Learning Orientation

“I was also skipping class because I was not coming [to university] prepared to learn” (10).

“I lead myself to believe that I worked well under pressure. I got done what needed to be done but nothing more. Coasting was a skill I had mastered” (38).

“I would sleep late and wake up late as well feeling lazy to do anything thus me procrastinating to do anything” (1).

“Throughout my life I have been able to breeze by with no repercussions for my mistakes and failures” (33).

Thematic findings: Locus of control and motivation

“I struggled with a lack of motivation. Because I was frustrated with or did not see the value in some courses, I refrained from giving them enough attention. This meant I was not studying the material I had the most difficulty with, resulting in further poor performance” (18).

“Poor time management is also another factor in my downfall at Haskayne School of Business. I recognize that managing time according to my needs and goals is really important. Not having this skill or not working on it can be devastating in University. I am not very good at splitting my school schedule with my other daily activities” (14).

Intervention: Academic Turnaround Program

Academic success

Reaching out to students who have experienced significant challenges, academic or otherwise.

Providing them with a second chance to participate in university,

Developing self-efficacy and a sense of belonging and, ultimately, to regaining satisfactory academic standing

GPAat

Academic Review

Never been on RegularAcademic Probation

Prior period of RegularAcademic Probation

Prior period of Academic Turnaround

Program

At least 2.0 Satisfactory Standing

1.7 – 1.999

Regular Academic ProbationIf joins Academic Turnaround Program continue of

probationOtherwise,

Required to Withdraw

Required to WithdrawMay APPEAL through

Appeals Process

Under 1.7 Apply for Academic Turnaround Program Otherwise, Required to Withdraw

NOTE: Number of withdrawals (cumulative) also considered.

Academic Review Process

ATP: Rules and regulations

Required to Withdraw from Haskayne (applying for ATP)

Submit Success Plan

Mandatory! Once submitted, your plan must be approved!

Modify Summer/Fall/Winter

registration

• Restricted to nine credits (3 half courses) in each of the Fall and Winter terms.

• restriction in effect until you have cleared academic probation.

• Failure to comply will result in your immediate removal from excess courses and may result in a required to withdraw ruling.

Pathways to success

Mandatory if approved to continue under Special Academic Probation.

Students who do not fulfill this requirement will be removed from their Winter courses and required to withdraw.

Show ProgressYou must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 in courses, no

matter how many, taken during Spring, Summer, and Fall, 2016, and Winter 2017

Intervention: Academic Turnaround Program

Locus of control

Learning orientation

Relationships

Framing

Academic success

Intervention: Pathways to success

Presenter

Presentation Notes

What are the outcomes of resilience? Well, success – but we were not able to define that yet. We want to see students who are more learning centered and not performance centered. I believe it should lie in the affective domain of Locus of Control (that is, the self-believe that I have control over the course of my achievement). With increase locus of control we may see positive expectations of success as well. We start to frame the various challenges differently. Another outcome will be a reduction in anxiety levels and self sabotaging behaviors. What are the skills of resilience? - These will have to do with self-regulation strategies. That is, the ability to reflect on the situation, tools and strategies and be able to change them when needed.

Intervention: Pathways to success

References

Baruth, K. E., & Caroll, J. J. (2002). A formal assessment of resilience: The Baruth Protective Factors Inventory. The Journal of Individual Psychology.

Howard, S., & Johnson, B. (2000). What makes the difference? Children and teachers talk about resilient outcomes for children'at risk'. Educational studies, 26(3), 321-337.

Martin, A. J., & Marsh, H. W. (2006). Academic resilience and its psychological and educational correlates: A construct validity approach. Psychology in the Schools, 43(3), 267-281.

Martin, A. J. (2013). Academic buoyancy and academic resilience: Exploring ‘everyday’and ‘classic’resilience in the face of academic adversity. School Psychology International, 34(5), 488-500.

Richardson, G. E. (2002). The metatheory of resilience and resiliency. Journal of clinical psychology, 58(3), 307-321.

Smith, B. W., Dalen, J., Wiggins, K., Tooley, E., Christopher, P., & Bernard, J. (2008). The brief resilience scale: assessing the ability to bounce back. International journal of behavioral medicine, 15(3), 194-200.

Vaishnavi, S., Connor, K., & Davidson, J. R. (2007). An abbreviated version of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), the CD-RISC2: Psychometric properties and applications in psychopharmacological trials. Psychiatry research, 152(2), 293-297.

Academically ‘at-risk’ students between the years 2006-2016

CF1 HS TRN TotalProbation 19

(3.46%)93

(16.94%)24

(4.3%)136

(24.77%)RTW 36

(6.56%)337

(61.38%)40

(7.29%)413

(75.23%)Total 55

(10.02%)430

(78.32%)64

(11.66%)549

(100%)

Documents

Turning around academic performances: Academic resilience … · 2017-04-17 · Turning around academic performances: Academic resilience among ‘at-risk’ university students Haskayne