EXAMINING FACTORS OF RESILIENCE IN BUILT ENVIRONMENT STUDENTS: MALAYSIA CASE STUDY

Built environment students commonly experience stress due to the unique learning environment designed to meet the employability needs of the construction industry. However, perceptions and responses to this learning experience differ for students depending on their resiliency. This research aims to examine the factors affecting resiliency of built environment students in Malaysia. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire survey on 221 built environment students of Universiti Sains Malaysia. The results showed Building Network i.e. establishing personal relationships and peer support was the main factor that enhanced resiliency of built environment students. The implications of the findings for program development is that strategies can be adopted to improve the students' ability to maintain perspective and manage stress to boost resiliency. This is important to ensure students are better prepared for the demanding work environment in construction industry