Assessment of Academic Resilience as a Non-Cognitive Variable in Entry-Level Doctor of Physical Therapy Students

The purposes of this study were to assess whether a correlation existed between academic resilience with success in the first semester of a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, measured by grade point average (GPA), and to understand the lived experiences of first-semester DPT students when they transition to graduate school. This was a mixed methods study using a retrospective non-experimental correlational design and sequential-explanatory research. The non-cognitive construct of academic resilience was measured by the Academic Resilience Scale-30, delivered online pre-enrollment. A list of questions was created to capture insight into the experiences of students in graduate school and delivered in two focus groups. There was an insignificant, negative correlation between the two variables, r= -0.011, p=0.912. Age demonstrated a significant medium negative correlation to first-semester DPT GPA, r= -0.32, p<0.001. Six themes emerged, which centered around workload, imposter syndrome, mental health, time management, study strategies, and life circumstances. In a sample of 108 DPT students, the overall mean score of academic resilience was lower than that for the general age-matched population. DPT students experience many challenges in the first semester that require academic resilience, and programs can assess the adaptive systems and protective factors in place to support their students in this phase.