Are low academic achievers less resilient? Resilience of low and high academic achievers in Mainland China

Abstract

Resilience is essential for students to resist adversity, and low academic achievers (LAA) may experience more challenges in resilience development than high academic achievers (HAA). This study aimed to compare resilience between LAA and HAA and to analyse the effects of protective factors in order to inform social work practices. This study analysed 1125 school‐aged subjects derived from a large survey conducted in 23 districts/counties in eight provinces in mainland China. We ran independent sample t‐tests to compare resilience between LAA and HAA, ran linear regression models to analyse the effects of internal and external protective factors on resilience, and tested the mediation effects of the protective factors. This study found that LAA were less resilient and more vulnerable to adversity than HAA. Internal protective factors helped to explain resilience, two main subfactors of which—self‐efficacy and confidence—fully mediated the effects of academic performance and resilience. External protective factors did not significantly impact resilience. We propose service strategies to enhance self‐efficacy and confidence in LAA in order to improve their resilience in social work practices.