Relationship of Nursing Students’ Academic Resilience and Performance in Nursing Prerequisite Courses

Abstract

This study explored the relationship between academic resilience and performance of first-year nursing students enrolled in prerequisite courses at a state university extension campus in Bulacan. It focused on three dimensions of resilience—perseverance, adaptive reflection, and emotional response—and examined students’ performance in anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, and theoretical foundations of nursing. A descriptive-correlational design was utilized, with universal sampling applied to include all 87 first-year nursing students. The results showed that students demonstrated very high levels of perseverance and adaptive reflection, coupled with low negative emotional responses. Academic performance was strongest in the theoretical foundations of nursing, where most students attained higher grades. Analysis revealed no significant differences in academic resilience and performance when grouped by sex. However, a moderate positive correlation emerged between academic resilience and performance, indicating that stronger resilience is associated with better academic outcomes. The findings highlighted that resilience, particularly perseverance and adaptive reflection, contributed meaningfully to nursing students’ academic success. While sex-based differences were not observed, the study underscored the importance of resilience-building programs as a strategy to enhance student well-being and educational achievement in nursing