Psychological Resilience as a Moderator in Post-Crisis Learning: A Dual-Pathway Model of Motivation, Support, and Cognitive Engagement – A Cross-National Study Based on PISA 2022

Psychological Resilience as a Moderator in Post-Crisis Learning: A Dual-Pathway Model of Motivation, Support, and Cognitive Engagement – A Cross-National Study Based on PISA 2022 | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Psychological Resilience as a Moderator in Post-Crisis Learning: A Dual-Pathway Model of Motivation, Support, and Cognitive Engagement – A Cross-National Study Based on PISA 2022 Yuan Xiong, mingjun wang This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9058521/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 01 May, 2026 Read the published version in BMC Psychology → Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The global educational crisis poses persistent challenges to students' deep learning. To uncover the intrinsic mechanisms of post-crisis learning recovery, this study integrates Self-Determination Theory and Social Cognitive Theory to construct a dual-pathway model moderated by psychological resilience (PR). The model examines how academic motivation (AM) and perceived school support (PSS) jointly influence cognitive engagement strategies (CES), with a focus on the moderating role of PR in this process. Using high-quality cross-national data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022, and employing structural equation modeling with latent moderated structural equations, the findings reveal that: (1) AM not only directly and positively predicts CES but also indirectly promotes it by enhancing PSS; (2) PR plays a significant positive moderating role in all three paths—"AM → CES", "AM → PSS", and "PSS → CES"—functioning as a "personal resource amplifier" that strengthens the translation efficiency of motivation and support into cognitive engagement; (3) the moderating effects of national development level (OECD membership) and gender are non-significant, indicating the mechanism's cross-group generalizability. Theoretically, this study deepens the understanding of the educational function of PR, advancing the conceptualization of resilience from a "stress buffer" to a "process moderator." Practically, it suggests that educational interventions should shift toward "resilience-sensitive" differentiated support, integrating resilience cultivation deeply into pedagogy and school culture to build a more transformative and resilient educational ecosystem. Cognitive engagement Academic motivation School support Psychological resilience Crisis education Cross-national study Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 01 May, 2026 Read the published version in BMC Psychology → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 16 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 16 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 16 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 16 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 16 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 16 Apr, 2026 Editor invited by journal 09 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 09 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 09 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 07 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9058521","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":624404755,"identity":"f984155d-4be9-4f34-b69a-29c77e751545","order_by":0,"name":"Yuan Xiong","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Zhejiang Business College","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yuan","middleName":"","lastName":"Xiong","suffix":""},{"id":624404756,"identity":"71761926-f481-472d-9d09-7c069b1e75b4","order_by":1,"name":"mingjun wang","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAq0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACZiCWADHYG0jWwnOAZOskEohUqNvOe/iFZdsdBoObjzfeYKixiSaoxewwX5qFZNszBoPbacUWDMfSchsIa+ExM5BsO8xgdjvHTIKx4TApWm6eIV6L8QOwlhs8JNjCIHHuMIP9GaBfEojyy/kzxp8lyg4zSLYf3njjQ40NYS1AwCYNjMp6oEoDoqOG+eMHCMNAgkgdo2AUjIJRMMIAABpePEGvG0SmAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Lishui University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"mingjun","middleName":"","lastName":"wang","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-07 12:53:36","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9058521/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9058521/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-04665-5","type":"published","date":"2026-05-01T15:57:34+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":108437624,"identity":"8bf50626-193a-4e91-85c6-d8dbbbcd97f7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-04 16:00:45","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":290197,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"a.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9058521/v1_covered_89080843-cf1b-4ad1-b8e7-27db296a35e6.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003ePsychological Resilience as a Moderator in Post-Crisis Learning: A Dual-Pathway Model of Motivation, Support, and Cognitive Engagement – A Cross-National Study Based on PISA 2022\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-psychology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"psyo","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Psychology](http://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"BMC Psychology","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Cognitive engagement, Academic motivation, School support, Psychological resilience, Crisis education, Cross-national study","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9058521/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9058521/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"The global educational crisis poses persistent challenges to students' deep learning. 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