Resilience, self‑victimization, and academic outcomes in online higher education

This research addressed the need for effective strategies to increase student proficiency and learning competencies by reducing victim mentality in academic settings. Victim mentality is a state of mind in which individuals feel helpless or that the world is against them. The characterization of a victim mentality is predicated on the tendency to shift the blame for academic performance to external factors and perceived limitations, which can significantly impact student achievement and morale. The study examined two core psychological constructs, self‑victimization and resilience, and their relationship to student engagement and academic performance in online courses. The analysis focused specifically on how levels of resilience and self‑victimization correspond to academic outcomes, without extending to broader institutional or instructional factors. Students reporting higher resilience tended to have higher CGPAs, whereas those reporting higher self‑victimization tended to have slightly lower CGPAs. Similarly, students with higher levels of self-victimization experienced lower academic performance.