Learned Resourcefulness Moderates the Relationship Between Academic Stress and Academic Performance

Abstract

People high in learned resourcefulness are purported to be better than others at controlling their negative emotions and managing stressful tasks. We hypothesised that highly resourceful students would be more effective than others at protecting themselves from the adverse effects of academic stress, and not allowing that stress to impact their grades. A sample of 141 first-year undergraduate students completed measures of academic stress and learned resourcefulness. Their first-year grade point averages were obtained from university records. Analyses revealed that academic stress was negatively associated with academic performance. As expected, this negative association was moderated by learned resourcefulness. High academic stress adversely impacted the grades of low resourceful students but had no effect on high resourceful students. We discuss the implications of these findings for improving academic performance.

Negative life events and school adjustment among Chinese nursing students: The mediating role of psychological capital

“…School adjustment is a broad and multidimensional concept that is not limited to students' school performance and academic success; it also includes their affect, attitude, relationships, and involvement or engagement with the school environment (Birch and Ladd, 1997). Several studies examining school adjustment have proved that internal factors, such as individual characteristics (e.g., intelligence and emotional quotients, personality) (Ahammed et al, 2011;Warbah et al, 2007), and external factors, such as perceived stress (e.g., academic stress) (Akgun and Ciarrochi, 2003), relationships (e.g., peers) (Iwata et al, 2014) and home environment (family income and parental conflicts) (Lucas- Thompson and Hostinar, 2013;Nelson et al, 1993) have contributed to the adjustment of college students. A meta-analysis by Mattanah et al (2011) indicated that parental attachment was associated with adjustment outcomes.…”

Academic Stress and Health: Exploring the Moderating Role of Personality Hardiness

“…Within the educational and psychological literature, many individual characteristics hypothesized to reduce the negative impact of academic stress have been investigated. Akgun and Ciarrochi (2003) explored the relationship between academic stress, performance, and learned resourcefulness. Learned resourcefulness is an acquired set of behavioral and cognitive skills that enable an individual to regulate internal events that might otherwise impede the efficient execution of target behavior (Rosenbaum, 1990).…”

Relationship Between Personality Traits And Academic Stress Among Postgraduate Students In Pakistan

“…Furthermore, if academic stress in the students is not handled properly, it can lead to low academic performance (Chapell, 2005). Akgun and Ciarrochi (2003) commented that academic stress has an adverse effect on the performance of university students in preparing their assignments effectively. As such, the purpose of this study is to identify the personality traits that act as important factors contributing to the academic stress of postgraduate students.…”