International Journal of Academic Multidisciplinary Research (IJAMR)   Year: 2023 | Volume: 7 | Issue: 9 | Page No.: 22-30 Social Support, Mental Stress Coping Mechanisms, and Learning Engagement of Maritime Students Download PDF April Ann T. Pe?a, Frederick A. Empic Abstract: Producing globally competitive future merchant marine officers is one of the goals of the maritime academy, which serves as the training ground for students to learn the theories and experience dealing with real-life scenarios onboard ships. However, in studying and staying at a boarding academy, students can experience a variety of transitional phases and issues. Social support, mental stress coping mechanisms, and learning engagement such as attentiveness in class and managing time are some of the important aspects for maritime students. This descriptive-correlational study aimed to determine the maritime students' levels of social support from instructors and peers, mental stress coping mechanisms, and learning engagement in terms of being attentive in class and managing time, and the interlinking relationships. A survey was administered to 228 out of 559 students at MOL Magsaysay Maritime Academy. Stratified random sampling with equal allocation was used. Two strata of 114 marine engineering and 114 marine transportation students from the first to third year levels comprised the sample. The results revealed that the maritime students have high to very high levels of social support from instructors and peers, a high level of mental stress coping mechanisms, and high to very high levels of learning engagement in terms of attentiveness in class and time management. Correlation analysis revealed that for the maritime students, the variables have strong positive interlinking relationships. For future research, the findings suggest designing a program that can help the students better cope with mental stress and further improve learning engagement.