GRASP
The role of resilience in HDR success
April 29th, 2026, by
This post is the third in a series of three looking at the role of motivation, persistence and resilience in HDR success. It focuses on resilience, and draws on ideas from a systematic review of the literature on resilience in education, as well as studies on resilience in doctoral students and in the classroom.
What is resilience?
Broadly speaking, resilience is defined as the ability to adapt, recover and keep going in the face of challenges or setbacks - be it personal adversity, disadvantage or major life disruptions. In an educational context, the term ‘academic resilience’ is often used to describe the ability to engage and progress with learning specifically, despite these broader issues as well as those more directly related to study. For HDR students, these can include everything from critical feedback, slow progress, supervisor issues, and uncertainty in direction, to feelings of isolation and the difficulties of balancing study, work and other commitments.
The importance of resilience
Resilience relates closely to the concepts of motivation and persistence, with motivation getting you started, persistence keeping you going, and resilience shaping how you respond when things aren’t going well. Research suggests that it underpins both academic and career success, while studies focusing on resilience in HDR students highlight the important role it plays in maintaining the stable mental and emotional state required to support ongoing research progress. This is particularly relevant given that the constant decision-making involved in designing, conducting and writing up a research project means that challenges are an inevitable part of the research journey. In this context, resilience can act as a protective buffer against distress, and it has also been identified as an important element in developing HDR students’ academic writing.
What influences resilience?
Resilience is influenced by a combination of personal, social and environmental factors. At an individual level, it is related to qualities such as perseverance, optimism and self-belief, as well as more adaptive and reflective capacities including emotional awareness, gratitude, academic self-efficacy and a sense of purpose, all of which influence how people respond to and manage challenges. In addition, it is also affected by broader life experiences including family background, previous learning experiences and the communities and institutions people are part of. For HDR students, the academic environment plays an important role, with higher levels of peer support and positive interactions with the university community associated with an increased ability to cope with academic demands.
Tips for building resilience
To help manage the demands of your research and respond more effectively to challenges, resilience can be strengthened over time through a combination of support and deliberate practice. Some approaches that may help include:
- Seeking encouragement, feedback and support from peers, supervisors, family and the wider academic community.
- Developing sustainable ways of working, such as establishing regular routines and maintaining a consistent writing rhythm.
- Engaging with wellbeing strategies, such as mindfulness, to support emotional balance and strengthen coping capacity.
Sources used
Borazon, E. Q., & Chuang, H.-H. (2023). Resilience in educational system: A systematic review and directions for future research. International Journal of Educational Development, 99, Article 102761. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2023.102761
Cefai, C. (2004). Pupil resilience in the classroom: A teacher’s framework. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 9(3), 149–170. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363275204047804
Kokotsaki, D. (2023). What Does It Mean To Be a Resilient Student? An Explorative Study of Doctoral Students’ Resilience and Coping Strategies Using Grounded Theory as the Analytic Lens. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 18, 173–198. https://doi.org/10.28945/5137
Odena, O., & Burgess, H. (2017). How doctoral students and graduates describe facilitating experiences and strategies for their thesis writing learning process: a qualitative approach. Studies in Higher Education (Dorchester-on-Thames), 42(3), 572–590. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1063598
Please make any anonymous comments/ feedback, or suggestions for further posts at this link. If you would like to get in touch, or write a post for the Ideas Hub blog, please email karen.miller@curtin.edu.au.
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