Academic resilience and motivational beliefs in science among native and immigrant students in Türkiye: evidence from TIMSS 2019
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY, vol.17, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 17
- Publication Date: 2026
- Doi Number: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1838607
- Journal Name: FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
- Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Linguistic Bibliography, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Psycinfo, Directory of Open Access Journals, MLA International Bibliography
- Open Archive Collection: AVESIS Open Access Collection
- Bursa Uludag University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
Academic resilience is a critical factor in understanding the disparities in student achievement, particularly among disadvantaged groups. This study examined the level of academic resilience in science among native and immigrant students in T & uuml;rkiye, using data from TIMSS 2019. In addition, the study investigated the relation of motivational beliefs (self-concept and task value) to science achievement of non-resilient students, based on Expectancy-Value Theory. Findings revealed that academic resilience is significantly lower among immigrant students compared to their native counterparts. Only 3.1% of low-SES immigrant students demonstrated resilience in science, while this proportion was 17% among low-SES native students. Fisher's exact test suggested a statistically significant association between immigrant status and academic resilience (p = 0.003, OR = 0.11). Furthermore, the regression results indicate that self-concept was positively associated with science achievement for both groups, whereas task value was not significantly associated with achievement. However, the interaction analysis suggested a positive association for native students, while it revealed a negative association for immigrant students. This implies that high self-concept and high task value may be associated with additional challenges for immigrant students, possibly due to linguistic and cultural barriers.