The literature has highlighted concerns about the mental health of students in postsecondary settings (Schmidt et al., 2015; Wiens et al., 2020). Marginalized and other underrepresented students are at increased risk of negative mental health outcomes during their postsecondary years because of systemic barriers to accessing and persisting in higher education (Lerma et al., 2020; Parks & Bahia, 2022). Further research is needed to identify which resources, for whom, and in which contexts best support and enable all post-secondary students’ resilience to thrive, with a particular focus on marginalized and underrepresented students.
This study aims to establish a cross-national partnership to explore students’ experiences of resilience in the post-secondary context and identify how social-ecological systems (i.e., individual, interpersonal, community, organizational) within PSIs (post-secondary Institutions) interact to influence student resilience. We aim to: 1. Explore post-secondary students' perspectives about resilience with a particular focus on those of marginalized or underrepresented student groups (e.g., Indigenous, racialized, international, 2SLGBTQ+, students with disabilities, male-identifying students); 3. Identify how social ecological systems within post-secondary institutions influence students’ experiences of wellbeing.
This cross-national study engages partners from the University of Calgary, University of Saskatchewan, University of Toronto, Dalhousie University, and Best Practices Network in Canadian Higher Education (BP-Net), representing diverse student bodies and distinct post-secondary contexts among Canada’s U15 universities.
Drawing on Ungar’s (2011, 2013, 2021), social-ecological framework, this study will follow Mixed-method design.
Which data collection tool will be used? | What will be asked? | Who are the participants? | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
UCalgary Qualtrics survey. Scales: 1. Post-secondary Student Stressors Index (PSSI) (Linden & Stuart, 2022). Link of survey: 2. Brief Resilient Coping Scale (Sinclair &Wallston, 2004) is a 4-items. 3. The Brief Resilience Scale (Smith et al., 2023) is a 6-items. | A combination of theory-informed questions and validated measures will be used to assess the relationship among stressors, resources and supports, in self-rated resilience among post-secondary students. | Undergraduate and graduate students, aiming for 800 students total (200 per institution) | January and May 2025 |
Which data collection tool will be used? | What will be asked? | Who are the participants? | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
Focus group | Charmaz’s (2014) grounded theory approach informs questions generated from survey results | Staff/faculty: 3 focus groups of 8-10 individuals per group Students: 1 focus group of 8-10 | February 2025 |
For more details or information please contact Project Coordinator: Sefat Jeshin Rimpu, PhD student in Educational Research, at sefat.rimpu@ucalgary.ca
