Perceived Influence of Psychological Resilience on Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in Owerri North L.G.A., Imo State

Abstract

The study investigated the perceived influence of psychological resilience on the academic performance of public secondary school students in Ikeduru L.G.A of Imo State. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Four research questions were posed to guide the study. The population of the study comprised all public secondary school teachers and the students in Ikeduru LGA. A sample of 450 respondents was selected using simple random sampling techniques. The instrument use for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled “Psychological Resilience and Academic Performance of Students Questionnaire” (PRAPSQ) which was validated by experts in Educational Psychology and Measurement and Evaluation. Reliability of internal consistency for (PRAPSQ) was 0.82 using Cronbach Alpha Statistics. Mean statistics were used to analyze the data collected for the research questions. Results revealed that psychological resilience is perceived to influence students’ academic performance in different ways such as improving critical thinking, encouraging engagement of students to learn, leading to achieving better academically. It was also shown that the respondents agreed that items such as ability to overcome obstacles, self-esteem, and support from teachers, family and friends are factors that contribute to the development of psychological resilience in students. The study also identified the factors that hinder the development of psychological resilience in students as high level of stress and anxiety, food insecurity, poor socioeconomic background and insufficient support from friends, family and teachers. Some psychological strategies for enhancing resilience were identified. Based on the findings, it was recommended that educators should promote individualized learning and productive feedback; students should be encouraged to establish achievable goals and develop a plan to accomplish them.