Measuring Academic Buoyancy Across Educational Contexts: A Systematic Review of Psychometric Evidence, Measurement Invariance, and Validity

1 Universitas Islam Negeri Jurai Siwo Lampung, Indonesia
Link Copied!

Academic buoyancy reflects a student's ability to navigate everyday academic setbacks. To measure this construct accurately across diverse educational and socio-cultural settings, psychometrically robust instruments are essential. This study systematic reviewed the psychometric properties and structural validity of academic buoyancy measurement, focusing on measurement invariance, convergent validity with external constructs, and socio-cultural adaptability. Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic literature search was conducted across Scopus and Web of Science databases, identifying 12 eligible empirical studies. Data were extracted and synthesized based on measurement focus, invariant properties, motivational and academic correlates, and cross-cultural application. Synthesis revealed three core themes: First, measurement invariance testing remains underrepresented, with only two studies evaluating the equivalence of the Academic Buoyancy Scale (ABS) across gender and cultural groups. Second, academic buoyancy consistently correlated positively with adaptive constructs including grit, motivation, future time perspective, engagement, and achievement, while serving a protective function against academic anxiety and burn-out. Third, while studies span diverse geographic and educational contexts, contextual breadth failed to guarantee cross-cultural measurement equivalence. Furthermore, findings emphasize the critical necessity of conceptually and psychometrically distinguishing academic buoyancy from academic resilience. Future research must prioritize robust invariance testing, expand validity evidence, and ensure contextual adaptation to safeguard accurate interpretation and responsible application in educational research.

Wardani, W. (2026). Measuring Academic Buoyancy Across Educational Contexts: A Systematic Review of Psychometric Evidence, Measurement Invariance, and Validity . ETDC: Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review , 6(1), 486–506. https://doi.org/10.51574/ijrer.v6i1.5647

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
  1. Akbaba Eser, R. S., Erdoğan, U., & Selvi, B. (2026). From interest to engagement: a serial mediation model of self-efficacy and academic buoyancy. BMC psychology, 14(1), 492. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-04113-4
  2. Al-Tameemi, R. A. N., Johnson, C., Gitay, R., Abdel-Salam, A. S. G., Al Hazaa, K., BenSaid, A., & Romanowski, M. H. (2023). Determinants of poor academic performance among undergraduate students—A systematic literature review. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 4, 100232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2023.100232
  3. Aydın, G., & Michou, A. (2020). Self‐determined motivation and academic buoyancy as predictors of achievement in normative settings. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(4), 964-980. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12338
  4. Azadianbojnordi, M., Bakhtiarpour, S., Makvandi, B., & Ehteshamizadeh, P. (2022). Can academic hope increase academic engagement in Iranian students who are university applicants? investigating academic buoyancy as a mediator. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 32(2), 198-206. https://doi.org/10.1017/jgc.2020.31
  5. Bakhshaee, F., Hejazi, E., Dortaj, F., & Farzad, V. (2017). Self-management strategies of life, positive youth development and academic buoyancy: A causal model. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 15(2), 339-349. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-016-9707-x
  6. Breslin, D. (2021). Finding collective strength in collective despair; exploring the link between generic critical feedback and student performance. Studies in Higher Education, 46(7), 1312-1324. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1688283
  7. Collie, R. J., Ginns, P., Martin, A. J., & Papworth, B. (2017). Academic buoyancy mediates academic anxiety’s effects on learning strategies: An investigation of English-and Chinese-speaking Australian students. Educational Psychology, 37(8), 947-964. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2017.1291910
  8. Collie, R. J., Martin, A. J., Bottrell, D., Armstrong, D., Ungar, M., & Liebenberg, L. (2017). Social support, academic adversity and academic buoyancy: A person-centred analysis and implications for academic outcomes. Educational Psychology, 37(5), 550-564. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2015.1127330
  9. Collie, R. J., Martin, A. J., Malmberg, L. E., Hall, J., & Ginns, P. (2015). Academic buoyancy, student's achievement, and the linking role of control: A cross‐lagged analysis of high school students. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 85(1), 113-130. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12066
  10. Colmar, S., Liem, G. A. D., Connor, J., & Martin, A. J. (2019). Exploring the relationships between academic buoyancy, academic self-concept, and academic performance: a study of mathematics and reading among primary school students. Educational Psychology, 39(8), 1068-1089. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2019.1617409
  11. Datu, J. A. D., & Yang, W. (2021). Academic buoyancy, academic motivation, and academic achievement among Filipino high school students. Current Psychology, 40(8), 3958-3965. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00358-y
  12. Datu, J. A. D., & Yuen, M. (2018). Predictors and consequences of academic buoyancy: A review of literature with implications for educational psychological research and practice. Contemporary School Psychology, 22(3), 207-212. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-018-0185-y
  13. Flett, G. L., Su, C., Ma, L., & Guo, L. (2014). Academic buoyancy and mattering as resilience factors in Chinese adolescents: An analysis of shame, social anxiety, and psychological distress. International Journal of Child and Adolescent Resilience, 2(1), 37-45. https://ijcar-rirea.ca/index.php/ijcar-rirea/article/view/159
  14. Fong, C. J., & Kim, Y. W. (2021). A clash of constructs? Re-examining grit in light of academic buoyancy and future time perspective. Current Psychology, 40(4), 1824-1837. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-0120-4
  15. Hirvonen, R., Putwain, D. W., Määttä, S., Ahonen, T., & Kiuru, N. (2020). The role of academic buoyancy and emotions in students’ learning‐related expectations and behaviours in primary school. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(4), 948-963. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12336
  16. Hirvonen, R., Yli-Kivistö, L., Putwain, D. W., Ahonen, T., & Kiuru, N. (2019). School-related stress among sixth-grade students–Associations with academic buoyancy and temperament. Learning and Individual Differences, 70, 100-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2019.01.012
  17. Hoferichter, F., Hirvonen, R., & Kiuru, N. (2021). The development of school well-being in secondary school: High academic buoyancy and supportive class-and school climate as buffers. Learning and Instruction, 71, 101377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2020.101377
  18. Jahedizadeh, S., Ghonsooly, B., & Ghanizadeh, A. (2019). Academic buoyancy in higher education: Developing sustainability in language learning through encouraging buoyant EFL students. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-04-2018-0067
  19. Karimova, K., & Tu, H. F. (2026). Dimensionality, reliability, and validity of academic resilience scales: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 38(1), 112. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-026-10207-7
  20. Khalaf, M. A., & Abulela, M. A. (2021). The Academic Buoyancy Scale: Measurement Invariance across Culture and Gender in Egyptian and Omani Undergraduates. European Journal of Educational Research, 10(4), 2121-2131. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1318386
  21. Lei, W., Zhang, H., Deng, W., Wang, H., Shao, F., & Hu, W. (2021). Academic self-efficacy and test anxiety in high school students: A conditional process model of academic buoyancy and peer support. School Psychology International, 42(6), 616-637. https://doi.org/10.1177/01430343211039265
  22. Linnenluecke, M. K., Marrone, M., & Singh, A. K. (2020). Conducting systematic literature reviews and bibliometric analyses. Australian Journal of Management, 45(2), 175-194. https://doi.org/10.1177/0312896219877678
  23. Liu, R. (2025). Psychological resources for academic buoyancy: The roles of growth mindset and emotional intelligence in Chinese university students. Frontiers in psychology, 16, 1580929. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1580929
  24. Martin, A. J. (2014). Academic buoyancy and academic outcomes: Towards a further understanding of students with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), students without ADHD, and academic buoyancy itself. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(1), 86-107. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12007
  25. Martin, A. J., Colmar, S. H., Davey, L. A., & Marsh, H. W. (2010). Longitudinal modelling of academic buoyancy and motivation: Do the 5Cs hold up over time? British Journal of Educational Psychology, 80(3), 473-496. https://doi.org/10.1348/000709910X486376
  26. Martin, A. J., Ginns, P., Brackett, M. A., Malmberg, L.-E., & Hall, J. (2013). Academic buoyancy and psychological risk: Exploring reciprocal relationships. Learning and Individual Differences, 27, 128-133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2013.06.006
  27. Martin, A. J., & Marsh, H. W. (2008). Academic buoyancy: Towards an understanding of students' everyday academic resilience. Journal of School Psychology, 46(1), 53-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2007.01.002
  28. Martin, A. J., & Marsh, H. W. (2009). Academic resilience and academic buoyancy: Multidimensional and hierarchical conceptual framing of causes, correlates and cognate constructs. Oxford Review of Education, 35(3), 353-370. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054980902934639
  29. Martin, A. J., & Marsh, H. W. (2020). Investigating the reciprocal relations between academic buoyancy and academic adversity: Evidence for the protective role of academic buoyancy in reducing academic adversity over time. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 44(4), 301-312. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025419885027
  30. Martin, A. J., Yu, K., Ginns, P., & Papworth, B. (2017). Young people’s academic buoyancy and adaptability: A cross-cultural comparison of China with North America and the United Kingdom. Educational Psychology, 37(8), 930-946. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2016.1202904
  31. Nicmanis, M. (2024). Reflexive content analysis: An approach to qualitative data analysis, reduction, and description. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 23, 16094069241236603. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069241236603
  32. Putwain, D. W., Connors, L., Symes, W., & Douglas-Osborn, E. (2012). Is academic buoyancy anything more than adaptive coping? Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 25(3), 349-358. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2011.582459
  33. Putwain, D. W., & Daly, A. L. (2013). Do clusters of test anxiety and academic buoyancy differentially predict academic performance? Learning and Individual Differences, 27, 157-162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2013.07.010
  34. Putwain, D. W., Gallard, D., & Beaumont, J. (2020). Academic buoyancy protects achievement against minor academic adversities. Learning and Individual Differences, 83, 101936. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2020.101936
  35. Rusticus, S. A., Pashootan, T., & Mah, A. (2023). What are the key elements of a positive learning environment? Perspectives from students and faculty. Learning environments research, 26(1), 161-175. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-022-09410-4
  36. Selvi, B., Barış Pekmezci, F., & Atay, F. (2026). Unpacking motivational diversity: a person-centered approach to academic buoyancy and engagement. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-08018-w
  37. Skinner, E. A., Graham, J. P., Brule, H., Rickert, N., & Kindermann, T. A. (2020). “I get knocked down but I get up again”: Integrative frameworks for studying the development of motivational resilience in school. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 44(4), 290-300. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025420924122
  38. Thomas, C. L., & Allen, K. (2021). Driving engagement: investigating the influence of emotional intelligence and academic buoyancy on student engagement. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 45(1), 107-119. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2020.1741520
  39. Vinter, K. (2021). Examining academic burnout: profiles and coping patterns among Estonian middle school students. Educational Studies, 47(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2019.1702510
  40. Vonkova, H., Papajoanu, O., Bosko, M., & Altinkalp, I. (2026). Investigating heterogeneity in student reporting behavior using multiple methods: The role of country-, school-, and individual-level variables. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 29(2), 253-270. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2025.2537400
  41. Yun, S., Hiver, P., & Al-Hoorie, A. H. (2018). Academic Buoyancy: Exploring Learners’everyday Resilience in the Language Classroom. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 40(4), 805-830. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263118000037
Dimensions Badge
Crossmark Badge
Section
Articles