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Coping with school failure and self-regulated learning

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Abstract

The aim of the study was to explore whether students can be classified in groups according to their coping strategies in dealing with school failure and to assess relationships between coping strategies and various components of self regulated learning.

The sample consisted of 470 high school students (15 to 18 years old). The students responded to two self-report questionnaires: The School Failure Coping Scale and The Components of Self-Regulated Learning.

A K-Means cluster analysis was used to classify students on the basis of their coping strategies. The first cluster included students high on problem-oriented and low on emotion-oriented strategies. The second contained students high on emotion-focused and low on problem-focused coping strategies. The third group included students with high scores on all strategies, and the fourth those with low scores on all strategies.

Results showed that these classified groups differed across all components of self-regulated learning and school achievement. It was concluded that pattern approach to coping with school failure could be useful in future research and that study of coping strategies should include the meaning students attach to their success and failure in school, as well as their level of aspiration.

Résumé

Le but de cette étude était, d’une part, de vérifier si les élèves peuvent être classés dans des groupes d’après leurs stratégies de faire face au stress dû à l’échec scolaire et, d’autre part, de définir les relations entre les stratégies de faire face et les différentes composantes de l’apprentissage auto-régulé.

L’échantillon était constitué de 470 élèves du secondaire (âgés de 15 à 18 ans). Les élèves devaient répondre à deux questionnaires: L’échelle de faire face à l’échec scolaire et Les composantes de l’apprentissage auto-régulé.

Une analyse cluster a été utilisée en vue de classer les élèves dans des groupes d’après leurs stratégies de faire face.

Les résultats ont montré que, d’après toutes les composantes de l’apprentissage auto-régulé et de même que d’après les succès scolaires, les quatres groupes d’élèves se distinguent de façon très sensible. Il a été conclu, d’une part, que l’approche qui comprend ce type de regroupement d’élèves selon leurs stratégies de faire face peut être utile à de futures études et, d’autre part, que l’importance que les élèves accordent au succès voire à l’échec scolaire de même que le niveau d’aspiration de ces derniers devraient être inclus dans les études des stratégies de faire face.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Zagreb, Savska cesta 77, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

    Majda Rijavec (Teachers Academy)

  2. Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Psychology, University of Rijeka, Trg Ivana Klobucarica 1, 51000, Rijeka, Croatia

    Ingrid Brdar

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  1. Majda Rijavec
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  2. Ingrid Brdar
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Rijavec, M., Brdar, I. Coping with school failure and self-regulated learning. Eur J Psychol Educ 17, 177–194 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03173257

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