Factors Affecting Academic Resilience in Middle School Students: A Case Study

This research was carried out with the purpose of identifying how and which risk andprotective factors affect academic outcomes. The study explored how different familyand individual environmental factors foster academic resilience. The exploratory studytook place with a group of six students from a public school in Bogotá, Colombia.The school is located in a low-income and marginalized area of the city, where socialproblems such as poverty and violence are common. Data collection techniquesincluded document analysis, as well as interviews with teachers and parents. Thedata collection was focused on identifying how academic resiliency skills can bedeveloped in vulnerable young people. It was found that it is possible to identify anddescribe different protective factors from the family, such as family guidance, familysupport, and opportunities for meaningful family involvement that explicitly fosteracademic resilience in at risk-students. It was also possible to address how individualcharacteristics also foster positive outcomes, including optimism, perseverance, ormotivation