Beyond Learning Strategies: Examining the Relationship Between Metacognitive Skills and Academic Resilience Among University Students

Academic resilience is an important aspect of university students’ ability to manage academic challenges, overcome setbacks, and remain committed to their educational goals. Metacognitive skills may play a meaningful role in this process by helping students plan, monitor, evaluate, and regulate their learning. However, the relationship between these skills and academic resilience remains insufficiently explored in the context of Pakistani higher education. This study examined the relationship between metacognitive skills and academic resilience among university students in Lahore, Pakistan. A quantitative, cross-sectional correlational design was employed, involving 600 BS and MPhil students from selected public and private universities. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale and analyzed using SPSS version 26. Pearson’s correlation, independent-samples t-tests, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine the relationship between the study variables and differences across selected demographic groups. The findings revealed a strong, positive, and statistically significant relationship between metacognitive skills and academic resilience (r = .835, p < .001), indicating that students who reported stronger metacognitive skills also tended to demonstrate higher academic resilience. Furthermore, significant age-group differences were identified in metacognitive skills (F(3, 596) = 10.21, p = .001), with students aged 27 years and above reporting higher scores than their younger counterparts. No statistically significant differences in metacognitive skills were found by gender, university type, or level of study. These findings highlight the relevance of metacognitive skills in understanding how university students respond to academic difficulties. The study suggests that universities should promote reflective learning, self-monitoring, and effective learning strategies to support students’ academic development and resilience.