Effects of resilience, emotional support and self-regulation on undergraduates’ academic success: a moderating and mediating analysis

Purpose Academic failure is seen as an educational challenge, and students are unable to adapt to the required academic skills that could foster academic success. Research on students’ academic success and emotional support along the lines of moderation and mediation effects of resilience and self-regulation, especially among undergraduates in Sub-Saharan Africa (with Nigeria in context), is sparse. This study, therefore, investigates the moderating and mediating effects of resilience and self-regulation on the relationship between emotional support and academic success among undergraduates in South-West Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a non-experimental design of correlational research type and was underpinned by the conservation of resources (COR) and self-determination theories (SDT). The study population was comprised of undergraduates from universities in South-West Nigeria. The questionnaires used for data collection were the Students’ Academic Success Questionnaire (SASQ; a = 0.87), Students’ Emotional Support Questionnaire (SESQ; a = 0.93), Students’ Resilience Questionnaire (SRQ; a = 0.94) and Students’ Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SSRQ; a = 0.95). The Hayes macro process model 5 in SPSS version 26.0 was used for the data analysis at a 0.05% significance level. Findings Findings indicate a significant positive relationship among undergraduates’ emotional support, self-regulation, resilience and academic success; resilience significantly moderates the relationship between emotional support and academic success; self-regulation partially mediates the impact of the relationship between emotional support and academic success. Originality/value Students’ academic success over the years has been attributed to several variables, with students falling below the perceived academic benchmarks. Nevertheless, studies investigating the moderating or mediating role of academic resilience through self-regulation and emotional support on students’ academic success in universities, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, seem sparse. More importantly, this study provides empirical evidence that undergraduates’ resilience, self-regulation and emotional support positively impact academic success. Also, undergraduates’ resilience positively and significantly moderated the relationship between emotional support and academic success. Moreover, undergraduates’ self-regulation partially mediated the relationship between emotional support and academic success.