Abstract
Resiliency in college students is an important personal trait, in that it assists students in dealing with the stresses encountered in college in healthy ways. Despite having more life stressors than traditional students, nontraditional learners typically display higher levels of resiliency when compared with traditional learners. Due to their “real-world” roles in the workforce and in their families, nontraditional students are uniquely prepared to handle the stresses of academia. Nontraditional learners tend to rely less on their peers for social support and acceptance and find support from others in their lives. This resiliency will be particularly important as nontraditional students deal with the pressures of obtaining an education during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.
TopBackground
College is a stressful time for all students, not just for nontraditional adult learners. It is common for students to experience increased stress due to finances, changes in living situations, conflicts with roommates, exams and deadlines, and changes in family dynamics upon beginning college (Joo et al., 2009; McCarthy et al., 2001; Ross et al., 1999; Saleh et al., 2017). Increased stress in college students is correlated with decreased motivation and academic achievement, as well as an increased risk of dropping out of school (Pascoe et al., 2019). For nontraditional learners, stress and its effects are magnified. Dill and Henley (1998) found that, in a relatively small sample size of traditional and nontraditional learners, nontraditional students experienced more stress in their home life in regards to family. Conversely, traditional students experienced more academic and social stress than did nontraditional students. Forbus et al. (2011) similarly found that nontraditional learners were not as affected by social pressure as traditional students, but experienced academic and family-related stress. Students who delay enrollment after high school graduation, or those who dropped out of high school to attain a GED, are facing a unique environment upon arriving on campus, and must adapt their identities as adults with knowledge and responsibilities related to their roles in the workforce and their families to the demands of the classroom.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Emotion Regulation: The ability of an individual to recognize and modulate their emotions.
Coping: Personal efforts to moderate internal and external demands in order to maintain well-being.
Minimally Nontraditional Student: A student with 1 nontraditional characteristic.
Highly Nontraditional Student: A student with 4 or more nontraditional characteristics.
Resilience: The ability to cope with challenges and threats in healthy ways.
Moderately Nontraditional Student: A student with 2-3 nontraditional characteristics.
Emotion-Oriented Coping: Individual attempts to regulate the negative emotions associated with a perceived stressor by engaging in conscious activities intended to affect regulation.
Avoidance-Oriented Coping: Individual engages in activities and/or cognitive strategies in a deliberate attempt to disengage from stressful situations.
Task-Oriented Coping: Individual attempts to cope by finding solutions to the problem that is causing distress.
Nontraditional student: The increasing and majority population of college students who have at least one of the following criteria: 25 or older; single parents; dependents; part-time students; a GED; delayed college attendance; financial independence; and full-time employment.
Well-Being: Overall mental state of feeling comfortable, healthy, and happy.