Instructor Emotional Support, Academic Resiliency, and School Engagement in an Online Learning Setting during Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

In recent years, numerous published scholarly works have examined the association between academic resilience and school engagement, as well as the function of emotional support in bolstering the relationship between the two. However, these investigations have only been undertaken at the elementary and secondary levels. Therefore, it can be concluded that there are only a few studies that were conducted in the context of Higher Education, especially in the Philippines. In this regard, this study aimed to evaluate the relationship between academic resilience (ARS) and school engagement (SE) via teacher-emotional support (TES). Using data from 910 students and Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), it was unraveled that (1) ARS positively affects SE, (2) ARS leverages TES, (3) TES affects SE, and (4) TES partially mediated the association between students' ARS and SE. According to the findings, instructors' emotional support promotes college students' resilience and engagement. The study underlined the need of strengthening personal and contextual resources to support student well-being in an online class setting.