Self-Compassion as a Moderator Between Fear of Failure and Academic Motivation for Undergraduate Student Athletes

• In Event: Crown Plaza Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Understanding Student Athletes and Athletics From Multiple Perspectives

Abstract

This study explored the role of self-compassion and its relation to the fear of failure and academic motivation in college students. In addition, athletic status and gender group differences were also analyzed. Results showed students who were considered athletes had higher self-compassion, lesser fear of failure, and lower extrinsic academic motivation than non-athlete students. In regards to gender, males had higher self-compassion and amotivation while having lower fear of failure and extrinsic academic motivation in comparison to females. We also found a strong negative correlation between self-compassion and fear of failure (r = -.565, p <0.01). This suggests that self-compassion acts as a moderator for fear of failure and that athletes tend to have better self-regulatory skills in this area.

Authors

• Ashley Kuchar, The University of Texas - Austin

• John Park, Penn State University

• Nathan Hyungsok Choe, The University of Texas - Austin

• Diane L. Schallert, The University of Texas - Austin