Academic Resilience and Coping Mechanisms of Tertiary Students Experiencing Negative Emotional States

Tertiary students navigate substantial academic, personal, social, and familial demands, which may be further compounded by negative emotional states, potentially affecting their ability to maintain academic functioning and persist in their studies; yet empirical research examining how students experience, cope with, and remain academically resilient amid these challenges remains limited. This study explored the academic resilience and coping mechanisms of students in local higher education institutions who experience negative emotional states. This study specifically employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to examine the lived experiences of tertiary students in Batangas who were navigating academic demands alongside negative emotional states. Eight (8) participants were selected using a multistage non-probability sampling approach, employing convenience sampling at the first stage and purposive sampling at the second stage. Data were gathered through in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The results revealed a more refined conceptualization of academic resilience, not merely as the capacity to withstand academic difficulties, but as an evolving and meaningful process of self-understanding in relation to academic and emotional challenges. Coping mechanisms, for these participants, ranged from adaptive, meaning-oriented strategies to maladaptive, escape-oriented patterns. The presence of these dual coping pathways highlights that their responses are shaped by varying capacities for regulation, adaptation, and sense-making in the face of difficulty. The findings suggest potential implications for the development of institutionally embedded support structures that may complement and extend beyond conventional resilience and coping skills programs. This includes the consideration of structured psychoeducational modules, experiential learning activities, guided behavioral coaching, and adaptive coping training, which may serve as possible directions for strengthening student support. Ultimately, the study calls for a shift in understanding resilience and coping, from a focus on endurance alone to the cultivation of emotionally aware, meaning-driven, and adaptive learners, thereby positioning sustained academic support as an essential foundation for educational success.