Emotional Self-Efficacy Moderates Anxiety-Related Impairments in Math Performance in Elementary School-Age Youth

• In Event: Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: Assessing Competencies and Correlates of Social and Emotional Learning: Theoretical and Measurement Issues

Abstract

Excessive anxiety is associated with impairments in academic achievement. However, not all children with elevated anxiety share an equal risk for academic difficulty. The current study investigated whether individual differences in emotional self-efficacy - confidence in one's ability to regulate negative emotions - protected against anxiety-related impairments on a standardized math exam in a sample of elementary school youth (n = 139). Results indicated that anxiety negatively predicted math test performance only for children with low levels of emotional self-efficacy. Students reporting high levels of emotional self-efficacy did not show anxiety-related decrements on test performance. Emotional self-efficacy appears useful in managing negative effects of anxiety.

Authors

• Brian M. Galla, University of Pennsylvania

• Jeffrey Wood, University of California - Los Angeles

• Nora Bedrossian, University of California - Los Angeles

• Julia Lesel, University of California - Los Angeles

• Dmitry Shulga, University of California - Los Angeles