Undergraduate STEM Students’ Coping Dispositions as Predictors of Fear of Failure

• In Event: Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Topic - Education, Schooling

Abstract

Fear of Failure (FF) is defined as a cognitive and emotional disposition reflecting perceived inability to achieve certain goals; undergraduate students with high FF demonstrate poorer academic performance and learning rates (Henry et al, 2019). It is crucial to understand the mechanisms behind FF and develop interventions to reduce FF in undergraduate contexts. Previous research suggests correlations between dysfunctional coping strategies and FF (Sagar, Lavallee, & Spray, 2009). This study characterizes the relationships between categories of coping disposition and FF explicitly in an undergraduate STEM student sample.

Undergraduates enrolled in an introductory chemistry course (N= 172; 66% female; 22% Underrepresented Minority (URM)) reported coping dispositions (25 items) and FF (15 items) at the start of the semester via a five-point Likert scale survey. 59 students (74% female; 16% URM) completed an identical survey after the first major mid-semester assessment. Coping behaviors were categorized into Challenge-Engaging, Challenge-Avoidant, and Emotional-Support; FF responses were categorized into Fear of Uncertain Future, Fear of Important Others Losing Interest, Fear of Upsetting Important Others, and Fear of Experiencing Shame and/or Embarrassment. Students whose coping scores were greater than one standard deviation above the mean were identified as “high copers”, and those with coping scores lower than one standard deviation below the mean as “low copers”. These classes of “high” and “low” copers were computed for all three categories of coping behaviors. Multiple linear regressions were used to assess the relationship(s) between coping, FF, and demographics.

Challenge-Engaging coping negatively predicted students’ average FF (B= -.5, p= .001) and Fear of Important Others Losing Interest (B= -.28, p= .025). Emotional-Support coping positively predicted Fear of Upsetting Important Others (B= .2, p= .049). Compared to males (M = 3.54, SD = 1.18), females had higher Fear of Experiencing Shame and/or Embarrassment ( M= 3.54, SD = 1.06; p= 0.007; see Figure 1). Over the semester, Challenge-Avoidant coping score negatively predicted change in Fear of Experiencing Shame and/or Embarrassment (B= -.38, p= .036). For high Challenge-Avoidant copers, underrepresented minority (URM) students reported more significant decreases in FF than non-URM counterparts (B= -2.40, p= 0.033; see Figure 2).

The findings illustrate an intricate relationship between undergraduate STEM students’ categorical coping dispositions and FF. Students with lower Challenge-Engaging coping tend to have higher average FF and Fear of Important Others Losing Interest; this may be caused by lack of intrinsic motivation and higher reliance on extrinsic positive feedback as rewards. Higher Fear of Upsetting Important Others in students with higher Emotional-Support coping might be related to higher saliency of social relationships. Females may exhibit elevated Fear of Experiencing Shame and/or Embarrassment due to low belongingness in STEM. URM students with high Challenge-Avoidant coping showed decrease in FF over the semester; conversely, this wasn’t observed in URM students with low Challenge-Avoidant coping. Perhaps educational interventions seeking to ameliorate FF are most effective for students in “dual categories of risk”. Coping interventions may possess potential to reduce FF, and future studies should further validate this hypothesis in laboratory settings.

Authors

• Yicheng Xue, Emory University
  Presenting Author

• Meredith A Henry, University of Alabama at Birmingham
  Non-Presenting Author

• Louise K Charkoudian, Haverford College
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lisa A Corwin, University of Colorado Boulder
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jennifer M Heemstra, Emory University
  Non-Presenting Author