Bouncing Back or Falling Short: Exploring the Interplay Between Resilience, Academic Entitlement and Performance

Abstract

The concept of academic entitlement (AE) reflects a set of beliefs or expectations among students that academic success should require minimal effort, often paired with a sense of deserving preferential treatment. AE is associated with personality traits and behaviors that can undermine academic engagement and performance, posing challenges for both students and educational institutions. Despite the increasing prevalence of AE, particularly within the Gen-Z population (born between 1997 and 2012) which faces severe academic pressure as well as evolving social and technological influences, there is limited research on how resilience relates to AE. This study explores the relationships between AE, resilience, and academic performance, hypothesizing that resilience has a significant correlation with AE which further has an impact on academic performance. Using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC 10) to measure resilience (Campbell-Sills & Stein, 2007), the Academic Entitlement Scale (AES) to assess AE (Chowning & Campbell, 2009), and self-reported GPA to evaluate academic performance, this study focuses on Indian college students to provide insights into the influence of resilience on AE and its potential to support academic success. This study aims to expand the understanding of personality and behaviour-related factors of AE and highlight resilience as a positive factor fostering healthier academic attitudes and outcomes.