Resilience and Adaptive Learning in Hybrid Education for Students with Disabilities: A Quantitative Analysis

Abstract

Hybrid models of education that combine online instruction with in-class teaching have become normative in post-secondary educational settings in order to enhance student learning by creating more flexible pathways of engagement and increased access to curricular opportunities. However, students with disabilities require adapted educational approaches in order to effectively access and engage with learning opportunities offered within hybrid educational models. Importantly, students with disabilities and their supporters report that greater attention must be paid to several challenges related to the integration of online learning within already physically-oriented learning environments, including facilitating access, enhancing engagement, and promoting inclusive participation within educational settings. Consequently, this study sought to understand better the critical role that resilient individuals with disabilities play in successfully traversing hybrid educational spaces and achieving educational outcomes. By drawing upon empirical research with 500 post-secondary students (including students with visible and non-visible disabilities), this study seeks to better elucidate the relationship between hybrid educational models and individuals with disabilities. The findings of this research reveal that psychological resilience predicts positive educational outcomes for students with disabilities in a hybrid educational context, where adaptive learning strategies serve as a key mechanism explaining this relationship. Further, the findings suggest that the accessibility of online learning environments, physical learning environments, and institutional-level supports are likely to strengthen this relationship and, in doing so, highlight critical components inherent to inclusive hybrid models of education. Theoretical contributions are advanced within the fields of education and disability studies, as this study connects frameworks of resilience with adaptive learning approaches. From a practical perspective, findings of this research are expected to provide insights that can inform policy and practice to develop more inclusive hybrid models of post-secondary education that encourage educational resilience among students with disabilities.