A Academic Resilience and Repeat-Course Success: Analyzing Student Recovery in Quantitative Gateway Courses
Dr. Panayiotis Skordi
Department of Information Systems and Decision Sciences, College of Business and Economics, California State University, Fullerton, CA, 92831, USA
Tel: +1 (562) 761 1792
Email: pskordi@fullerton.edu
Abstract
This study investigates the role of academic resilience in shaping student outcomes among undergraduates who repeat a quantitatively demanding gateway course. Drawing from institutional data on 384 students enrolled in an introductory business statistics course at a large public U.S. university, we explore how academic history, demographic characteristics, and prior performance influence recovery trajectories. Guided by theories of academic integration (Tinto, 1993), persistence (Braxton et al., 2004), and resilience (Martin & Marsh, 2006), this study applies regression and ANOVA analyses to evaluate the predictive value of course repetition, GPA, ethnicity, and age on final exam outcomes. Our findings reveal that students who repeated the course—particularly nontraditional and underrepresented minority students—demonstrated meaningful academic improvement, countering deficit-based narratives about failure. This paper contributes to the literature by reframing course repetition as a site of persistence and recovery, and by offering actionable recommendations for equity-centered advising, instructional practices, and institutional messaging. Implications for theory and policy are discussed in light of current student retention frameworks.