Motivation and coping with the stress of assessment: Gender differences in outcomes for university students

Abstract

The main objectives of the present research were to test a conceptual model linking motivational processes involved in coping with the stress of university assessment, and to examine gender differences in these processes. Self-determined motivation was hypothesized to predict coping strategies and the response to assessment-related stress, and coping was hypothesized to play a considerable role in short-and long-term outcomes of assessment. We examined this model using multiple group path analysis in Mplus. In Study 1 (N = 265), music students' use of engagement-coping strategies led to stronger musical career intentions, while disengagement-coping strategies led to weaker intentions. In Study 2 (N = 340), students' increased use of engagement coping, and decreased use of disengagement coping strategies led to higher grades, higher positive affect and lower negative affect. In both studies, engagement and disengagement-coping were predicted by autonomous and controlled motivation, respectively. Motivation also indirectly predicted academic outcomes through stress appraisal and coping. While women experienced higher levels of stress, men were more negatively affected by the use of disengagement-oriented coping. Gender differences were also found on the links between engagement-oriented coping and outcomes. These results fill an important gap in the literature regarding gender differences in the outcomes coping in education, as well as contributing to a better understanding of the processes linking motivation, coping and academic outcomes.

Predictors of Stress and Coping among Nursing Students in the College of Nursing at University of Hail, Saudi Arabia

“…This may imply that Saudi Arabia, having a patriarchal family structure, imposes more stress on their female kin especially those involved in academe. This is concurred by Bonneville-Roussy, where women in universities experienced higher levels of stress and mostly affected by disengagement-oriented coping [37].…”

“…However, different studies, where the PSS-10 was used, obtained a reliability test of >.70 [22][23][24][25]. Level of stress was classified as: low stress (0-13); moderate stress (14-26); high stress (27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40).…”

Examination of attitudes to learning and educational stress in prospective primary school teachers: İzmir-Buca sample

“…Relations between educational stress experienced during the learning process and various factors have been the subjects of several studies. Its relations with such factors as success, learning strategies (Laakkonen and Nevgi, 2014) and gender (Bonneville-Roussy et al, 2017) were dealt with in the literature. Yıldırım et al (2017) examined the relations between educational stress and ways of coping with stress and self-respect, social support and general health status in 517 nursing students and found that educational stress and ways of coping with stress are significantly related to self-respect and social support and are affected by general health status.…”

Health sciences undergraduate students' perceived meaning of life and their coping styles

“…5,24,[46][47][48][49][50] Kaya et al 45 reported that male students use active coping more than female students while Savcı and Aysan 29 reported that perceived stress is higher in female students than in male students, which might be due to the differences in the way men and women are raised and societal roles they are expected to play. 51 Most participants with negative income and a bad relationship with their family use effective coping styles less often than others.…”