Academic buoyancy and psychological risk: Exploring reciprocal relationships

Abstract

Based on hypothesized reciprocal relations between psychological risk and academic buoyancy (dealing with 'everyday' academic setback in the ordinary course of school life), the present study used cross-lagged structural equation models to examine the relative salience of (1) prior academic buoyancy in predicting subsequent psychological risk and (2) prior psychological risk in predicting subsequent academic buoyancy. Academic buoyancy and psychological risk (academic anxiety, failure avoidance, uncertain control, emotional instability, neuroticism) measures were administered to 2,971 students (11-19 years) from 21 Australian high schools at two time waves across a oneyear interval. Analyses confirmed a reciprocal effects model in which psychological risk impacts academic buoyancy and academic buoyancy impacts psychological risk. The findings hold applied and conceptual implications for practitioners and researchers seeking to help students deal more effectively with adversity in school life.

Academically buoyant students are less anxious about and perform better in high‐stakes examinations

“…The finding of reciprocal relations between worry and buoyancy supports previous findings in the context of general academic anxiety (Martin & Marsh, ,b; Martin et al ., , ). The statistically significant cross‐lagged paths from worry to academic buoyancy support the theorizing of Putwain and Daly () that academic buoyancy can impact on self‐regulative thought to influence the appraisal of a high‐stakes examination as more or less threatening.…”

“…In the context of this model, Putwain and Daly (2013) proposed that academic buoyancy can protect against the appraisal of a performance-evaluative situation as threatening. Academically buoyant students are able to draw on positive self-beliefs (e.g., competence beliefs and motivation) and to respond to lower-than anticipated marks or grades on schoolwork and examinations with effort and strategic attributions (see Malmberg et al, 2013;Martin, 2013;Martin et al, 2010Martin et al, , 2013Martin & Marsh, 2006, 2008a. Academic buoyancy would be expected to impact on key self-regulative mechanisms, as proposed by Zeidner and Matthews (2005), to reduce the appraisal of performance-evaluative situations as threatening and result in lower test anxiety.…”

“…The ordering of test anxiety and academic buoyancy General academic anxiety has been shown in secondary school students to predict lower (future) academic buoyancy, while controlling for prior general academic anxiety (Martin et al, 2010), with a reciprocal pattern of inverse relations between academic buoyancy and general academic anxiety found by Martin and Marsh (2008a) and Martin et al (2013). In other words, students who tend to experience greater academic anxiety also tend to be less academically buoyant.…”

Studying Triggers for Interest and Engagement Using Observational Methods

“…For example, the work of Skinner and her colleagues (see Skinner & Pitzer, 2012) provided a systematic analysis of students' academic coping behaviors and suggests that the same characteristics that enable engagement (e.g., feelings of competence) also inform responses to setbacks or challenges. Using data from a large-scale survey, Martin, Ginns, Brackett, Malmberg, and Hall (2013) reported on the reciprocity of resilience or buoyancy and psychological risk factors such as academic anxieties, need for control, emotional instability, and failure avoidance. Finally, Turner, Warzon, and Christensen (2011) suggested that promoting teacher understanding of student motivation can lead to positive changes in instructional practice, thereby positively impacting student engagement.…”

Academic buoyancy, student's achievement, and the linking role of control: A cross-lagged analysis of high school students

“…Despite the demonstrated positive effects of buoyancy on motivational and emotional factors (e.g., Martin et al, 2013), a question remains concerning achievement. Martin (2014) examined a direct relationship between buoyancy and achievement and found a significant association; however, effect sizes were generally small.…”