Article Gold Open Access 2026

The Challenges of Dual Education and the Role of Resilience in the Balance Between Learning and Work

Social Sciences
Journal · Vol. 15 · Issue 1 · Art. 15
Abstract

The rapid transformation of the 21st-century labour market requires students to be highly psychologically adaptable, especially in dual education systems where academic and work-based learning occur simultaneously. This study examines resilience as a psychological and pedagogical protective factor among students in dual vocational education and dual higher education programmes. Using a quantitative research design with validated scales measuring resilience, motivation, satisfaction, and stress, the research investigates how individual and contextual factors influence students’ adaptability. The results showed that vocational education and training students exhibited greater resilience, greater learning satisfaction, and lower levels of stress than those in higher education. Regression analysis confirmed that resilience positively contributes to academic success, while supportive mentoring and a structured learning environment enhance emotional stability and motivation. The analysis highlights that autonomy and pressure to perform are associated with higher levels of stress in higher education, underscoring the critical role of mentorship and peer support in improving adaptability. These findings emphasise that resilience is not only an individual capacity, but also a pedagogical and organisational construct; its systematic development should be integrated into the dual education framework to support student well-being, learning effectiveness, and long-term professional adaptation. © 2025 by the authors.

Keywords

Author Keywords

self-efficacy Mentoring vocational education and training (VET) coping strategies dual training psychological well-being resilience

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Education and Social Sciences, Széchenyi István University, Gyor, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hungary
Doctoral School of Law and Political Sciences, Széchenyi István University, Gyor, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hungary
Funding & Acknowledgements
Széchenyi István Egyetem, SZE
The APC was funded by Sz\u00E9chenyi Istv\u00E1n University.
References 10 References
1 Bakker, Arnold Bastiaan, Job Demands–Resources theory and self-regulation: new explanations and remedies for job burnout, Anxiety, Stress and Coping, 34, 1, pp. 1-21, (2021)
2 Beltman, Susan, Thriving not just surviving: A review of research on teacher resilience, Educational Research Review, 6, 3, pp. 185-207, (2011)
3 Ecology of Human Development, (1979)
4 Bioecological Model of Human Development, (2006)
5 Cassidy, Simon, Resilience building in students: The role of academic self-efficacy, Frontiers in Psychology, 6, NOV, (2015)
6 Bond, Frank G., The relationship between safety climate and safety performance: A meta-analytic review, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 11, 4, pp. 315-327, (2006)
7 Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioural Sciences, (1988)
8 Connor, Kathryn M., Development of a new Resilience scale: The Connor-Davidson Resilience scale (CD-RISC), Depression and Anxiety, 18, 2, pp. 76-82, (2003)
9 Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research, (2017)
10 Ph D Thesis, (2023)
Quick Actions
Full Text via DOI
Citation Metrics
0
Times Cited (Scopus)

References 10
Document Identifiers