What makes students strong? A student's voice study on resilience

In times of crisis, resilience—the ability to cope with challenges—has become crucial, especially for primary school students facing issues such as the climate crisis, the war in Ukraine, educational disadvantages, or family-related struggles. This is particularly true for students with special educational needs (SEN) or those from migrant backgrounds. The present study explores the factors that foster resilience in these students. Using a sequential explanatory design, the study involved two phases. In the first phase, resilience was measured through a paper-and-pencil questionnaire (N = 882 primary school students from Germany). In the second phase, 13 highly resilient students were interviewed using a semi-structured guide. Quantitative results showed that overall, students demonstrated a high tendency towards resilience. Multilevel regression analysis revealed that personal factors (e.g., family language, SEN), relationships with peers and teachers, and school resources were significant predictors of resilience. Qualitative findings indicated that personal resources—such as self-efficacy and emotional regulation—were more influential for resilience than external factors like family or community resources.