EXPLORING ACADEMIC RESILIENCE IN ORCHIDS: PROMOTIVE AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS OR PROCESSES FOR REMEDYING DROPOUT RISK IN STUDENTS WITH ORCHID-SENSITIVITY

Orchids (Boyce, 2020; Kennedy, 2013) are individuals with heightened psychobiological sensitivity who, with proper support, can demonstrate remarkable resilience despite significant adversity. This study explores academic resilience among orchids with moderate-to-severe dropout risk (MSDR). The EARO study examines risks contributing to academic disengagement/dropout while identifying promotive and protective factors/processes (PPFPs – Ungar, 2019) that mitigate risk, foster academic success, and enhance psychosocial well-being. Using an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, this study examined students from two high schools in Delaware’s Christina School District: Newark High School (NHS) and Sarah Pyle Academy (SPA). The Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS – Aron & Aron, 1997; Lionetti et al., 2018) was used to identify orchids, while two rounds of student and faculty/staff interviews explored MSDR origins and changes over time. Two samples were assessed: the EARO Sample (26 students aged 15-21 years; 9 faculty/staff; 11 orchids) and the Schoolwide Orchid Sample (80 SPA students; 32 orchids). SPA had a higher orchid proportion (40%) than the norm (30% - Lionetti et al., 2018), suggesting that flexible, emotionally-supportive alternative schools like SPA provide a more attractive/conducive learning environment for orchids than most traditional schools. By the study’s conclusion, 11 EARO students graduated, 2 were disenrolled from SPA, and 13 continued working toward graduation. Among the 11 graduates and 11 orchids, “out-of-school life stressors” were the most salient risk factor for dropout (64% and 73%, respectively). “Supportive relationships” was the most prominent PPFP for mitigating risk (100%|91%), and the strongest “moderator of academic motivation” (100%|100%). They reported being proudest of “earning/recovering credits” (82%|82%), becoming “more self-efficacious” (82%|64%), and having a “greater sense of agency” in their academic ability/potential (82%|73%) throughout the study. Findings informed my theoretical framework for academic resilience development among MSDR students – the “ARD Model.” While further validation with larger samples is needed, the positive changes/outcomes among orchids in this study highlight the transformative impact of targeted support systems in fostering resilience and academic success, even among students deemed most at-risk.