The Efficacy of Online Video-Based Learning on Resilience Enhancement in First-Year Chinese College Students

Research DesignA 2 × 3 mixed experimental design was employed, with group (intervention vs. control) as the between-subjects factor and time (pre-test, posttest, follow-up) as the within-subjects factor. Participants in the intervention group completed a 6‑week online video‑based resilience‑building programme, consisting of daily 5‑ to 10‑minute sessions, 5 days per week, while the control group received no intervention.3.

Measures3.1. College Student Resilience ScaleThe College Student Resilience Scale (Wu, 2022), a self-developed scale, was used to measure resilience. It comprises 26 items across four subscales: Self-Efficacy and Adaptability, Positive Cognition, Capacity for Regulating Negative Emotions, and Perceived and Utilized Social Support.

Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = "Very Inconsistent" to 5 = "Very Consistent"), with 4 reverse-scored items. Higher total scores indicate higher resilience. Due to unequal item numbers across subscales, a min-max normalization was applied to each subscale score: x' = (x - min) / (max - min) × 100, standardizing the range for each subscale to 1-100.

The scale demonstrates good reliability and validity. In this study, Cronbach's α for the total scale at pre-test, posttest, and follow-up were .88, .89, and .89, respectively.3.2. Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21)The DASS-21 (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) was used to assess negative emotional states.

This 21-item short form measures depression, anxiety, and stress (7 items each) on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = "Did not apply to me at all" to 3 = "Applied to me very much, or most of the time"). Higher total scores indicate greater negative affect. The Chinese version (Gong et al., 2010) has demonstrated good psychometric properties in Chinese university students.

In this study, Cronbach's α for the DASS-21 total score at pre-test, posttest, and follow-up were .88, .95, and .96, respectively.4. Procedure4.1. Intervention Design and ImplementationThe "Resilience Enhancement Themed Online Video Learning" intervention combined daily video learning with a check-in component (learning reflection).

The curriculum targeted four resilience dimensions: (1) Self-Efficacy and Adaptability, (2) Positive Cognition, (3) Capacity for Regulating Negative Emotions, and (4) Perceived and Utilized Social Support (see Table 1 for details). Videos were sourced from a positive psychology lecture series (by Liu Xuan, Harvard University Ph.D. candidate). Each day, a 5-10 minute video was posted via the Check-in Mini Program on a Tencent QQ group platform.

Participants watched the video and posted a reflection (minimum 20 words) related to the daily topic. They could view, like, comment on, and discuss each other's reflections. Completion of all daily tasks for six weeks was rewarded with credits in the university's "Psychological Quality Enhancement Module" as part of its second classroom curriculum.

See Table 1 for the selected video content and intervention themes.4.2. Implementation and Questionnaire AdministrationAfter recruitment, participants were informed about the study's nature, assessment methods, and confidentiality, and verbal informed consent was obtained.The intervention ran from late January to early March 2021. The intervention group accessed materials and submitted check-ins via the QQ group and Check-in Mini Program .

The control group received no intervention during this period. Participants in both groups completed the College Student Resilience Scale and DASS-21 at three time points via the "Tencent Questionnaire" online platform: Pre-test (late January 2021), posttest (early March 2021, immediately after the 6-week intervention), and Follow-up (early April 2021, one month after intervention completion).