Academic self-efficacy and social support as predictors of academic resilience among first-year Physical Education and exercise and Sports Science students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55040/vq097c08Keywords:
academic resilience, academic self-efficacy, perceived social support, first-year university students, physical education, exercise and sports scienceAbstract
Academic resilience plays an important role in helping university students cope with academic challenges, particularly during the transition to higher education. This study examined academic self-efficacy and perceived social support as predictors of academic resilience among first-year Physical Education and Exercise and Sports Science students enrolled in a public higher education institution in the southern Philippines. A quantitative cross-sectional correlational design was employed with 100 first-year students selected through complete enumeration sampling. Data were collected using standardized instruments, namely the Academic Resilience Scale (ARS-30), the College Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (CASES), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted using JASP statistical software. The findings revealed that students demonstrated high levels of academic resilience, academic self-efficacy, and perceived social support. Correlation analyses showed significant positive relationships between academic self-efficacy and academic resilience, as well as between perceived social support and academic resilience. Regression analysis further revealed that both academic self-efficacy and perceived social support significantly predicted academic resilience, with academic self-efficacy emerging as the stronger predictor. These findings suggest that strengthening students’ confidence in their academic capabilities and promoting supportive learning environments may enhance their resilience and ability to cope with the demands of higher education.
References
Abdolrezapour, P., & Ghanbari, N. (2023). Self-efficacy and resilience as predictors of students’ academic motivation in online education. PLOS ONE, 18(5), e0285984. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285984
Azpiazu, L., Ramos-Díaz, E., Axpe, I., & Revuelta, L. (2024). Social Support, Self-Concept and Resilience as Protectors Against School Maladjustment During Adolescence. School Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-024-09736-9
Badiee, M. (2022). Predictors of Latina Undergraduate Psychology Students’ Resilience. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 22(2), 192–204. https://doi.org/10.1177/15381927221096537
Cassidy, S. (2016). The academic resilience scale (ARS-30): A new multidimensional construct measure. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1787. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01787
Chen, J., Lu, S., Liu, C., Zhou, Y., Luo, Q., Miao, C., & Smith, G. D. (2024). Latent profiles of academic resilience in undergraduate nursing students and their association with resilience and self-efficacy. Nurse Education in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2024.103949
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2018). Research methods in education (8th ed.). Routledge.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
de Andrade, J. E., Meireles, A. L., Machado, E. L., de Oliveira, H. N., Sales, A. D. F., Cardoso, C. S., de Freitas, E. D., Vidigal, F. de C., Ferreira, L. G., Nobre, L. N., da Silva, L. S., Reis, E. A., Saunders, R., Barbosa, B. C. R., & Ruas, C. M. (2024). Sociodemographic, economic, and academic factors linked with resilience in university students during covid-19 pandemic: a Brazilian cross-sectional study. BMC Psychology, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-02138-1
Elnaem, M. H., Wan Salam, W. N. A. A. bt, Thabit, A. K., Mubarak, N., AbouKhatwa, M. M., Ramatillah, D. L., Isah, A., Barakat, M., Al-Jumaili, A. A., Mansour, N. O., Fathelrahman, A. I., Adam, M. F., Jamil, S., Baraka, M., Rabbani, S. A., Abdelaziz, D. H., Elrggal, M. E., Okuyan, B., & Elçioğlu, H. K. (2024). Assessment of Academic Resilience and its associated factors among Pharmacy Students in Twelve Countries. The American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 100693. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpe.2024.100693
Fraenkel, J. R., Wallen, N. E., & Hyun, H. H. (2019). How to design and evaluate research in education (10th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Heath, G., & Richardson, A. (2023). Delivering Resilience: Embedding a Resilience Building Module into First-Year Curriculum. Student Success. https://doi.org/10.5204/ssj.2883
Honicke, T., Broadbent, J., & Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, M. (2023). The self-efficacy and academic performance reciprocal relationship: the influence of task difficulty and baseline achievement on learner trajectory. Higher Education Research & Development, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2023.2197194
Kirby, J. B., Stellino, M. B., Lewis, C., Humphrey, K., Gordon, K. B., & Lindsay, K. G. (2022). You’ve Got a Friend in Me: Fostering Social Connection Among College Students Through Peer-Led Physical Activity. Health Promotion Practice, 23(6), 907–911. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248399211072535
Li, K., Wang, H., Siu, O. L., & Yu, H. (2024). How and When Resilience can Boost Student Academic Performance: A Weekly Diary Study on the Roles of Self-Regulation Behaviors, Grit, and Social Support. Journal of Happiness Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-024-00749-4
Lin, S., Mastrokoukou, S., Longobardi, C., & Bozzato, P. (2024). The influence of resilience and future orientation on academic achievement during the transition to high school: the mediating role of social support. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2024.2312863
Liu, Y., & Cao, Z. (2022). The impact of social support and stress on academic burnout among medical students in online learning: The mediating role of resilience. Frontiers in Public Health, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.938132
Lobo, J. (2023). Perceived Physical Education Teachers’ Emotional Support and its direct interrelation to Learners’ Academic Resilience. Sportis. Scientific Technical Journal of School Sport, Physical Education and Psychomotricity, 9(3), 527-544. https://doi.org/10.17979/sportis.2023.9.3.9797
Lobo, J., Alfonso, J. M., Reyes, J., Galvez, M. J., Evangelista, J. A., Esteban, M. J., & Masagca, R. C. (2026). The mediating effect of perceived coach’s emotional support to life satisfaction, curiosity, academic resilience and sports engagement. Sportis. Scientific Technical Journal of School Sport, Physical Education and Psychomotricity, 12(1), 1-42. https://doi.org/10.17979/sportis.2026.12.1.11614
López-Aguilar, D. L., Álvarez Pérez, P. R., & Garcés-Delgado, Y. (2023). The development of resilient behaviours in the fight against university academic dropout. Education xx1, 26(2), 91–116. https://doi.org/10.5944/educxx1.35891
Ma, Y., & Mumtaz, S. A. (2025). The long-term mental health benefits of exercise training for physical education students: a comprehensive review of neurobiological, psychological, and social effects. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1678367
Mao, Y., Xie, M., Li, M., Gu, C., Chen, Y., Zhang, Z., & Peng, C. (2022). Promoting academic self-efficacy, positive relationships, and psychological resilience for Chinese university students’ life satisfaction. Educational Psychology, 43(1), 78–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2022.2138830
Martin, B. J. M. (2026). Academic self-efficacy and social support as predictors of academic resilience among first-year university students. International Journal of Research Publications, 191(1), 19–27. https://doi.org/10.47119/IJRP1001911220268694
Mostafa, H., & Lim, Y. (2020). Examining the Relationship between Motivations and Resilience in Different International Student Groups Attending US Universities. Journal of International Students, 10(2), 306–319. https://doi.org/10.32674/JIS.V10I2.603
O’ Brien, N., O’Brien, W., Costa, J., & Adamakis, M. (2022). Physical education student teachers’ wellbeing during Covid-19: Resilience resources and challenges from school placement. European Physical Education Review, 28, 873–889. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356336X221088399
Orang, A. E., Khodadust, M. R., Malajag, R. R., & Alipanah, M. (2025). The Role of Resilience and Cognitive Flexibility in Predicting Academic Adjustment: The Mediating Effect of Self‐Efficacy. Psychology in the Schools. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.70096
Owen, S. V., & Froman, R. D. (1988). Development of a college academic self-efficacy scale. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Council on Measurement in Education, New Orleans, LA, United States.
Panganiban, T. D., Tagare Jr., R. L., Aquino, J. M. D., Prevandos, F. G., Mañalac, E. R., Payumo, A. S., Sinag, J. M. D., Quibral, J. P., Longakit, J. C., Garcia Jr., A. L., Ballera, J. D., Celestial, E. F., Setiawan, E., & Lobo, J. (2025). Strengthening future educators: How school climate shapes academic resilience in Physical Education teacher education students. Sportis. Scientific Technical Journal of School Sport, Physical Education and Psychomotricity, 11(2), 1-28. https://doi.org/10.17979/sportis.2025.11.2.11366
Radiamoda, R. B., Chuang, H.-H., Pernia, R. A., & Borazon, E. Q. (2024). Investigating resilience of international students at a public university in Southern Taiwan and its implications for the New Southbound Policy. International Journal of Educational Development. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2024.103001
Shadish, W. R., Cook, T. D., & Campbell, D. T. (2002). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Houghton Mifflin.
Singh, J. K. N. (2021). Academic Resilience among International Students: Lived Experiences of Postgraduate International Students in Malaysia. Asia Pacific Education Review, 22(1), 129–138. https://doi.org/10.1007/S12564-020-09657-7
Song, P., Cai, X., Qin, D., Wang, Q., Liu, X., Zhong, M., Li, L., & Yang, Y. (2024). Analyzing Psychological Resilience in College Students: A Decision Tree Model. Heliyon, e32583. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32583
Sorkkila, M., Tolvanen, A., Aunola, K., & Ryba, T. V. (2019). The Role of Resilience in Student-Athletes’ Sport and School Burnout and Dropout: A Longitudinal Person-oriented Study. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 29(7), 1059–1067. https://doi.org/10.1111/SMS.13422
Tudor, K., Sarkar, M., & Spray, C. M. (2020). Resilience in physical education: A qualitative exploration of protective factors. European Physical Education Review, 26(1), 284–302. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356336X19854477
Villarojo, B. P., & Sameon, M. A. (2026). Academic resilience, exercise self-efficacy, and perceived wellness of Filipino college freshmen. Sportis. Scientific Technical Journal of School Sport, Physical Education and Psychomotricity, 12(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.17979/sportis.2026.12.1.12354
Wu, T.-T., Silitonga, L. M., Dharmawan, B., & Murti, A. T. (2024). Empowering Students to Thrive: The Role of CT and Self-Efficacy in Building Academic Resilience. Journal of Educational Computing Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/07356331231225468
Yang, F., Gao, Y., & Liu, F. (2025). Physical exercise and depression in university students with psychological resilience as mediator and family support as moderator. Dental Science Reports, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-17317-2
Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., & Farley, G. K. (1988). The multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52(1), 30–41. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa5201_2
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Levie G. Tejada (Autor/a)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The works published in this journal are subject to the following terms:
The author retains the economic rights (copyright) of the published works and grants the journal the right of first publication.
The works are published in the electronic edition of the journal under a Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike license. They may be copied, used, distributed, transmitted, and publicly displayed, provided that: (i) authorship and the original source of publication (journal, publisher, and URL of the work) are cited; (ii) they are not used for commercial purposes; (iii) the existence and specifications of this license are indicated.
Self-archiving conditions. Authors are permitted and encouraged to disseminate electronically the post-print versions (publisher’s version), as this facilitates earlier circulation and dissemination, potentially increasing citation and reach within the academic community. Authors may also deposit their articles in repositories and other platforms that support the dissemination of information, provided that the version used is the post-print (publisher’s version). RoMEO color: Blue.
