Relationship between coping strategies and academic resilience of pupils with special needs in Kwara, Nigeria

This study investigated the relationship between coping strategies and academic resilience among pupils with special needs in Kwara Central, Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The population was all children with special needs in primary and secondary schools of the State. The sample comprised 400 pupils with special needs purposely selected from 20 schools, both special and regular schools. Two data collection instruments used included the Coping Strategies Rating Scale (CSRS) and Pupils’ Academic Resilience Rating Scale (PARRS), validated for face and content validity and tested for reliability with coefficients of 0.82 and 0.85, respectively. Descriptive statistics of frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation was used to analyse the two questions raised while inferential statistics of Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used to analyse the only hypothesis formulated at the 0.05 level of significance. The results revealed moderate levels of coping strategies (weighted mean = 2.40) and academic resilience (weighted mean = 2.44). The result also showed a strong a positive correlation between coping techniques and academic resilience (r-value is 0.713). These findings indicate the need to focus on building appropriate coping mechanisms to promote resilience in children with exceptional needs. Based on the findings, the study recommended teacher training, appropriate learning methodologies, and supporting school policies to increase children' adaptive capacities and boost academic resilience among children with exceptional needs.