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Perceived control and emotions: interactive effects on performance in achievement settings

Social Psychology of Education volume 11, pages 161–180 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Individual differences in cognitions and emotions play a critical role in difficult academic situations, such as the transition into college, a period infused with uncertainty. Perceived academic control (low vs. high) and emotions (course boredom, anxiety, and enjoyment) were examined to determine how they jointly predicted 620 first-year students’ achievement and attrition over an entire academic year. It was expected that students’ emotions would moderate the effects of high perceived control on achievement (final psychology grade, cumulative GPA) and attrition (overall course credits dropped). Regression results revealed several Perceived Control  ×  Emotion interactions that supported this moderation hypothesis: negative emotions impeded the benefits of high control (i.e., boredom and anxiety predicted worse performance in high-control students); positive emotions enhanced the benefits of high control (i.e., enjoyment predicted better performance in high-control students). Conversely, achievement emotions did not predict performance among low-control students. Together, these findings indicate that for a high level of perceived control to enhance students’ academic achievement and inhibit attrition, “adaptive” levels of emotions (lower boredom, lower anxiety, or higher enjoyment) are required. Implications for maximizing academic success among both low- and high-control students are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of North Dakota, 319 Harvard Street, Stop 8380, Grand Forks, ND, 58202, USA

    Joelle C. Ruthig

  2. University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

    Raymond P. Perry, Steven Hladkyj & Judith G. Chipperfield

  3. University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA

    Nathan C. Hall

  4. University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    Reinhard Pekrun

Authors
  1. Joelle C. Ruthig
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  2. Raymond P. Perry
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  3. Steven Hladkyj
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  4. Nathan C. Hall
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  5. Reinhard Pekrun
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  6. Judith G. Chipperfield
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Correspondence to Joelle C. Ruthig.

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Ruthig, J.C., Perry, R.P., Hladkyj, S. et al. Perceived control and emotions: interactive effects on performance in achievement settings. Soc Psychol Educ 11, 161–180 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-007-9040-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-007-9040-0

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