The Mediating Role of Perceived Instructor’s Emotional Support to Students’ Academic Resiliency and School Engagement

Abstract

Abstract Academic resiliency is the ability of students to cope with and overcome setbacks and chronic difficulties, specifically in the school context. Previously conducted studies have discovered that academically resilient students tend to be more engaged in academics than their counterparts. Moreover, studies have also mentioned the importance of teachers’ emotional support to students’ engagement. Concerning this, the current study is focused on determining the mediating role of perceived teachers’ emotional support (TES) in the relationship between academic resiliency (ARS) and school engagement (ENG) of students in a Higher Education Institution context in Angeles City, Philippines. A sample of 910 students (58.9% male and 41.1% female) from different institutes completed self-report questionnaires concerning academic resilience, perceived teachers’ emotional support, and school engagement. Partial Least-Square Structural Equation Modelling using SmartPLS4 was used for the mediation analysis. The results revealed that (1) academic resilience positively influences school engagement, (2) academic resilience leverages perceived teachers’ emotional support, and (3) perceived teachers’ emotional support affects school engagement. Most importantly, it was found that perceived teachers’ emotional support partially mediates the relationship between students’ academic resilience and school engagement. Based on the findings, it was emphasized the importance of teachers’ emotional support in fostering resilience and engagement with college students. Lastly, findings were discussed by stressing the importance of fostering personal and contextual resources in the college to promote students’ well-being.