Assisting failure‐prone individuals to navigate achievement transitions using a cognitive motivation treatment (attributional retraining)

Transitions to novel achievement settings are often accompanied by unfamiliar learning conditions and unanticipated failure that undermine how individuals adapt to such situations. For first‐year students, the transition to college is imbued with adverse learning conditions that can result in decreased motivation and academic performance. This study examined the efficacy of a motivation‐enhancing treatment, attributional retraining (AR), to assist students who are at risk because of a high‐failure avoidance orientation (tendency to maintain self‐worth by avoiding failure). For high‐ (but not low) failure avoidance students, AR fostered an adaptive psychological mindset (course grade expectations, judgments of course responsibility) and better academic performance (course grade, grade point average). Findings suggest the utility of AR to offset the negative effects of a high‐failure avoidance self‐worth orientation.     

Primary and Secondary Control in Achievement Settings: A Longitudinal Field Study of Academic Motivation,Emotions, and Performance1

The present research represents an application of Rothbaum et al.'s (1982) dual‐process model of perceived control to adaptation in achievement settings. This eight‐month longitudinal field study examined how primary and secondary control influenced end‐of‐year academic motivation (e.g., voluntary course withdrawal), emotions (e.g., stress, regret, pride), and performance (e.g., cumulative grade point average) in 703 first‐year college students. For successful students, primary control related to better performance, higher motivation, and more positive affect. For unsuccessful students, the combination of primary and secondary control resulted in optimal academic adjustment. Unsuccessful students who rely on primary at the expense of secondary control risk serious long‐term deficits in motivation and performance. These findings are discussed with respect to academic overconfidence and control‐enhancing treatments.     

The relation of depression and anxiety to life‐stress and achievement in students

Objectives: An apparent increase in seriously disturbed students consulting student health services in the UK has led to concern that increasing financial difficulties and other outside pressures may affect student mental health and academic performance. The current research investigated whether student anxiety and depression increases after college entry, the extent to which adverse life experiences contribute to any increases, and the impact of adversity, anxiety and depression on exam performance. Method: 351 UK‐domiciled undergraduates completed questionnaires one month before university entry and mid‐course. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS: Zigmond & Snaith, 1983) was administered at both time points and a modified List of Threatening Experiences (Brugha, Bebbington, Tennant, & Hurry, 1985) was administered mid‐course. Results: By mid‐course 9% of previously symptom‐free students became depressed and 20% became anxious at a clinically significant level. Of those previously anxious or depressed 36% had recovered. After adjusting for pre‐entry symptoms, financial difficulties made a significant independent contribution to depression and relationship difficulties independently predicted anxiety. Depression and financial difficulties mid‐course predicted a decrease in exam performance from first to second year. Conclusions: This is the first study to confirm empirically that financial and other difficulties can increase British students' levels of anxiety and depression and that financial difficulties and depression can affect academic performance. However, university life may also have a beneficial effect for some students with pre‐existing conditions. With widening participation in higher education, the results have important implications for educational and health policies.     

Natural Mentoring Relationships and the Adjustment to College among Underrepresented Students

This study investigated associations between natural mentoring relationships and academic performance via psychological distress among underrepresented college students attending an elite predominantly White institution (PWI). Specifically, this study explored whether the quantity of natural mentors possessed upon college entry, the retention of natural mentors across the first year of college, and overall changes in the number of natural mentors possessed during the first year of college predicted improvements in students' semester grade point averages (GPAs) via reductions in psychological distress. Participants in this study included 336 first‐year undergraduate students attending a selective PWI. Students were eligible to participate in this study if they were first‐generation college students, students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, or students from underrepresented racial/ethnic minority groups. Results of this study indicated that a greater number of retained natural mentoring relationships across the first year of college were associated with improvements in students' GPAs via reductions in symptoms of depression from the Fall to Spring semester. The results of this study suggest that institutional efforts to support the maintenance of preexisting mentoring relationships may be an effective approach to promoting the academic success of underrepresented college students during the first year of college.     

Influence of Generational Status and Financial Stress on Academic and Career Self‐Efficacy

The importance of a college degree is underscored by higher unemployment rates of individuals who have not completed college (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014 ). Academic and career self‐efficacy influence students' completion of college, and 1st‐generation college students and those under financial strain may experience decreased self‐efficacy (Wohlgemuth et al., 2007 ). Participants in this study (N = 383) were college students at a 4‐year university. Results from a 2 × 3 multivariate analysis of variance and discriminant function analysis revealed significant differences in academic and career self‐efficacy based on financial stress, but not generational status.     

The Moderating Role of Ethnic Identity and Social Support on Relations Between Well‐Being and Academic Performance1

The role of social support and ethnic identity in moderating the effects of factors that may emanate from stereotype threat on academic performance was examined. Depressive and anxiety symptoms of ethnic minority (n = 65) and Euro‐Caucasian students (n = 198) were tracked through their first year of university. Although students' symptoms did not differ at the outset of the year, higher symptoms uniquely evident among ethnic minority students at midyear were associated with poorer final grades, and reduced well‐being was sustained at the end of the year. Social support from friends and fewer unsupportive interactions predicted greater success among ethnic minority students. Although both groups benefited from academic support, such support was perceived as less available to minority students.     

Ethnic Segregation and Perceived Discrimination in College: Mutual Influences and Effects on Social and Academic Life1

This study examined relationships among same‐ethnicity friendships, perceptions of ethnic discrimination, and social and academic adjustment in college using a large longitudinal sample of White, Asian, Latino, and African American students. Results demonstrated that Latino students who had more in‐group friends during college exhibited reduced belonging and academic performance at the end of college. Perceived discrimination also had negative effects on Latino students' sense of belonging. For African American students, having more in‐group friends during college was related to enhanced academic commitment and motivation at the end of college. Perceiving more discrimination was also associated with enhanced academic motivation for African American students. Explanations for the divergent experiences of the two minority groups on campus are discussed.     

Individual differences in students' retention of knowledge and conceptual structures learned in university and high school courses: the case of test anxiety

The purpose of this research was to assess individual differences in students' retention of knowledge several years after studying the material. Assessment of retention of materials as a function of students' test anxiety can allow one to evaluate whether high test-anxious students' original deficient academic performance and organization of the materials are due to a retrieval deficit or a deficit in learning and knowledge organization. In two studies, students with different test-anxiety levels completed tasks that enabled us to evaluate both students' levels of knowledge and their cognitive organization of the materials. The tasks were administered either at the end of the course, or at different retention intervals up to 7 years after the end of learning. Results indicated that whereas high test-anxious students tested at the end of the courses performed worse than other students on tests of knowledge and cognitive organization, high test-anxious students tested at various retention intervals after the courses performed as well as other students. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Economic indicators predict changes in college student optimism for life events

This investigation explored the extent to which an economic recession predicted changes in college students' optimism about the length and quality of their futures. In a cross‐sectional design, college students in the United States rated their likelihood of divorcing, being unhappy in their career, and living past age 60, at time points before, during, and in the aftermath of an economic recession (2007–2010). Economic indicators, particularly gas prices, predicted decreased optimism as the indicators worsened. After the recession, however, optimism rebounded. The findings reveal that people's expectations for their personal futures are generally sensitive to the state of the national economy.     

Family,peer and school connectedness in final year secondary school students

The study aim was to investigate Australian Year 12 students' sense of connectedness to their schools, families, and peers, and examine associations between connectedness and emotional wellbeing. Year 12 students (492 male, 449 female) from 10 secondary schools in Victoria, Australia participated in Phase 1 of the study. of these, 204 participants (82 male, 122 female) returned surveys 1 year later; 175 of these were attending tertiary education institutions. The study found high levels of depression, anxiety and stress among Year 12 students, with higher negative affect associated with lower levels of family, peer and school connectedness. Negative affect 1 year after leaving school was predicted by negative affect and peer connectedness at Year 12. Results suggest there are significant numbers of at‐risk young people in their final year of school, who feel lonely and disconnected from peers, and who maintain concerning levels of depression, anxiety and stress in first year of university.     

Social Dominance Orientation,Gender, and Increasing Educational Exposure1

Using a large panel sample of undergraduates, we measured the social dominance orientation (SDO) scores of men and women once a year across a 4½‐year period. Employing repeated‐measures ANOVAs, we found that, even after controlling for the character of students' academic majors (hierarchy enhancing or hierarchy attenuating), males showed significantly higher SDO scores than did females across the entire college career. The data are discussed in terms of the invariance hypothesis within social dominance theory.     

Hope and Optimism: Latent Structures and Influences on Grade Expectancy and Academic Performance

ABSTRACT A synthesized model of trait hope ( Snyder 1994, 2002 ) and trait optimism ( Scheier & Carver, 1985 ) is proposed. In this model hope and optimism are conceptualized as facets of an overarching trait called goal attitude. Structural equation modeling is used to test the plausibility of the proposed model in a sample of 345 students in a university psychology course who completed the Adult Hope Scale ( Snyder et al., 1991 ) and the Life Orientation Test–Revised ( Scheier, Carver, & Bridges, 1994 ). The proposed model shows acceptable fit to the observed data. The synthesized model is used to examine the unique and common influences of hope and optimism on grade expectancy and academic performance in 312 students who completed the course. The results show that hope uniquely influenced students' grade expectancies, whereas optimism did not. In turn, grade expectancies influenced academic performance. Neither hope nor optimism had a unique, direct influence on academic performance. In contrast, the shared aspect of hope and optimism (i.e., goal attitude) had a direct influence on academic performance.     

Academic self‐handicapping: Relationships with learning specific and general self‐perceptions and academic performance over time

Background. Academic self‐handicapping (ASH) tendencies, strategies students employ that increase their chances of failure on assessments while protecting self‐esteem, are correlated with classroom goal structures and to learners' general self‐perceptions and learning strategies. In particular, greater ASH is related to poorer academic performance but has yet to be examined with respect to learners' performance across a series of tests. Aims. This research was designed to examine the relationship between students' ASH tendencies and their self‐concept clarity, learning strategies, and performance on a series of tests in a university course. Sample. A total of 209 (153 female; 56 male) Canadian university psychology students participated in this study. Methods. Participants' ASH tendencies, self‐concept clarity, approaches to learning, and self‐regulatory learning strategies were assessed along with expected grades and hours of study in the course from which they were recruited. Finally, students' grades were obtained for the three tests for the course from which they were recruited. Results. Students reporting greater self‐handicapping tendencies reported lower self‐concept clarity, lower academic self‐efficacy, greater test anxiety, more superficial learning strategies, and scored lower on all tests in the course. The relationships of ASH scores and learner variables with performance varied across the three performance indices. In particular, ASH scores were more strongly related to second and third tests, and prior performances were accounted for. ASH scores accounted for a relatively small but significant proportion of variance for all three tests. Conclusions. These results showed that ASH is a unique contributing factor in student performance outcomes, and may be particularly important after students complete the initial assessment in a course.     

A longitudinal study of students' academic self‐concept in a streamed setting: The Singapore context

Background. Although several studies support the existence of a negative stream effect on lower‐ability stream students' academic self‐concept, there is not enough longitudinal research evidence to preclude the possibility that the stream effect may only be temporary. In addition, not much is known about the effect of streaming on changes in students' academic self‐concept over time. Aims. The main aims of the study were to examine the effect of streaming on (a) the students' academic self‐concept immediately after the streaming process, and at yearly intervals for 3 consecutive years, and (b) the changes in students' academic self‐concept over a 3 year period. Sample. The sample comprised 495 Secondary 1 students (approximate age 13) from three government coeducational schools in Singapore. Method. A longitudinal survey using a self‐reported questionnaire. Results. Results showed that the lower‐ability stream students had a more negative academic self‐concept than the higher‐ability stream students immediately after streaming, but they had a more positive academic self‐concept 3 years after being streamed. In addition, it was established that the students' academic self‐concept declined from Secondary 1 to Secondary 3. Nonetheless, the decline was more pronounced for the higher‐ability stream students than the lower‐ability stream students. Conclusions. Streaming may have a short‐term negative impact on lower‐ability stream students' academic self‐concept. However, in the long run, being in the lower‐ability stream may not be detrimental to their academic self‐concept.     

Avoidance temperament and social-evaluative threat in college students' math performance: a mediation model of math and test anxiety

Background and Objectives: Standardized testing has become a common form of student evaluation with high stakes, and limited research exists on understanding the roles of students' personality traits and social-evaluative threat on their academic performance. This study examined the roles of avoidance temperament (i.e., fear and behavioral inhibition) and evaluative threat (i.e., fear of failure and being viewed as unintelligent) in standardized math test and course grades in college students. Design and Methods: Undergraduate students (N = 184) from a large public university were assessed on temperamental fear and behavioral inhibition. They were then given 15 minutes to complete a standardized math test. After the test, students provided data on evaluative threat and their math performance (scores on standardized college entrance exam and average grades in college math courses). Results: Results indicate that avoidance temperament was linked to social-evaluative threat and low standardized math test scores. Furthermore, evaluative threat mediated the influence of avoidance temperament on both types of math performance. Conclusions: Results have educational and clinical implications, particularly for students at risk for test anxiety and underperformance. Interventions targeting emotion regulation and stress management skills may help individuals reduce their math and test anxieties.     

Academic optimistic bias: Implications for college student performance and well-being

Although optimism has several benefits, there are potential drawbacks associated with “too much of a good thing”. Within an academic context, a possible determinant of the adaptiveness of optimistic bias is whether students have a sense of control over academic outcomes: optimistically-biased (OB) achievement expectations paired with perceptions of academic control may enhance performance and well-being; optimistic bias in the absence of perceived control may result in disappointment, poor performance, and diminished well-being. The current longitudinal study examined academic control cognitions (ACC) among OB college students (n = 319) versus non-optimistically biased (non-OB) students (n = 321). We also examined the effects of academic optimistic bias on composite measures of college performance (perceived success, final psychology course grades, cumulative GPA, course attrition) and well-being (positive and negative emotions, health behaviors, future optimism) 6 months later; and determined whether ACC accounted for those associations. Significant MANCOVAs showed OB students had greater ACC, better subsequent well-being, and outperformed their non-OB counterparts. These well-being and performance differences remained significant after statistically accounting for initial aptitude and ACC. Overall, academic optimistic bias was accompanied by perceived controllability over scholastic outcomes, yet beyond the effects of ACC, optimistic bias was associated with better year-end performance and well-being. Findings have implications for maximizing the successful transition of first-year college students.     

Improving the Performance of Failing Students by Overcoming Their Self-Serving Attributional Biases

The causal impact of attributions on academic performance was examined by changing low-scoring students' attributions regarding their poor performances. Initially, when students who were failing a college course identified the cause of the performance, they emphasized external, uncontrollable causes. Because these self-serving attributions could have perpetuated poor performance on subsequent examinations, students in the experimental condition were exposed to information that suggested that grades in college are caused by internal, controllable factors such as effort and motivation. As predicted, on subsequent tests and on the final examination, these students earned higher grades than control students who received no attributional information. These findings lend support to an attributional model of academic achievement and also suggest that educational interventions that shift attributions away from a self-serving pattern to a performance-facilitating pattern may improve academic outcomes.     

The consequences of stereotype threat on the academic performance of White and non-White lower income college students

This research examined whether socioeconomic stereotypes produce stereotype threat among lower, middle, or upper income college students who are either White or non-White. Before completing an academic test, participants were either told that the purpose of the research was to understand why lower income students generally perform worse on academic tests or to examine problem-solving processes. Results showed that lower income students exposed to stereotype threat experienced greater test anxiety and performed worse on the academic test than their middle income and higher income counterparts. However, lower income students who experienced stereotype threat exerted as much effort on the test as lower income students who did not experience stereotype threat. Nonetheless, they were less likely to identify with school-related subjects. Stereotype threat and reduced performance did not influence lower income students’ self-esteem. Participant race did not influence these findings. The research is discussed in light of cognitive dissonance theory. Portions of the results were presented at the 2004 American Psychological Society Conference, Chicago, IL. Lisa A. Harrison is an assistant professor of psychology at California State University, Sacramento. Her research interests include stereotypes and prejudice, gender role norms and female athletes, and the influence of social identity on judgments of interpersonal violence. E-mail: lharriso@csus.edu Chiesha M. Stevens is currently working toward her MA in industrial/organizational psychology at California State University, Long Beach Adrienne N. Monty is currently working toward her MA in psychology at California State University, Sacramento Christine Coakley received her BA in psychology from California State University, Sacramento where she is currently working toward her MA in industrial/organizational psychology. Her research interests include stereotype threat, optimism, motivation and employee burnout in special education. E-mail: Sac78629@saclink.csus.edu     

The effects of metacognitive training versus worked‐out examples on students' mathematical reasoning

Background: The present study is rooted in a cognitive‐metacognitive approach. The study examines two ways to structure group interaction: one is based on worked‐out examples (WE) and the other on metacognitive training (MT). Both methods were implemented in cooperative settings, and both guided students to focus on the problem's essential parts and on appropriate problem‐solving strategies. Aims: The aim of the present study is twofold: (a) to investigate the effects of metacognitive training versus worked‐out examples on students' mathematical reasoning and mathematical communication; and (b) to compare the long‐term effects of the two methods on students' mathematical achievement. Sample: The study was conducted in two academic years. Participants for the first year of the study were 122 eighth‐grade Israeli students who studied algebra in five heterogeneous classrooms with no tracking. In addition, problem‐solving behaviours of eight groups (N = 32) were videotaped and analysed. A year later, when these participants were ninth graders, they were re‐examined using the same test as the one administered in eighth grade. Method: Three measures were used to assess students' mathematical achievement: a pretest, an immediate post‐test, and a delayed post‐test. ANOVA was carried out on the post‐test scores with respect to the following criteria: verbal explanations, algebraic representations and algebraic solution. In addition, chi‐square and Mann‐Whitney procedures were used to analyse cooperative, cognitive, and metacognitive behaviours. Results: Within cooperative settings, students who were exposed to metacognitive training outperformed students who were exposed to worked‐out examples on both the immediate and delayed post‐tests. In particular, the differences between the two conditions were observed on students' ability to explain their mathematical reasoning during the discourse and in writing. Lower achievers gained more under the MT than under WE condition. Conclusions: The findings indicate that the kind of task and the way group interaction is structured are two important variables in implementing cooperative learning, each of which is likely to have different effects on mathematical communication and achievement outcomes.