Coping with school failure and self-regulated learning

• DOI: 10.1007/bf03173257
• Publication Date: 2009-11-10T13:50:12Z
• Authors: Majda Rijavec; Ingrid Brdar
• Keywords: Educational Psychology

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). 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.