Resilience of public administration students during the pandemic: The impacts of coping strategies and learning barriers

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the delivery of education across the United States, giving rise to a myriad of challenges for university students. Yet, many students demonstrated tremendous resilience. Using an online survey conducted at a Hispanic-Serving Institution in May 2021, this study examines the relationship between coping strategies, learning barriers, and resilience among Public Administration students approximately one year into the pandemic while students were still taking their courses online. The regression analysis of 180 survey responses finds a positive and statistically significant correlation relationship between proactive coping strategies of Public Administration students and their resilience, while avoidant coping strategies and learning barriers are inversely correlated with student resilience. Moreover, proactive coping strategies lessened the negative effect of both learning barriers and avoidant coping on resilience. The findings imply that Public Administration programs should prioritize efforts to strengthen proactive coping strategies and reduce learning barriers to support student resilience and success.