Why do students use strategies that hurt their chances of academic success? A meta-analysis of antecedents of academic self-handicapping.

Abstract

Self-handicapping is a maladaptive strategy that students employ to protect their self-image when they fear or anticipate academic failure. Instead of increasing their effort, students may harm their chances of success by procrastinating, strategically withdrawing effort, or engaging in destructive behaviors like drug abuse, so that potential failure can be attributed to these handicaps rather than to stable personal characteristics (e.g., low intelligence). A large body of research has focused on potential antecedents of students' self-handicapping, but the literature is fragmented and the evidence is often mixed. Thus, we know little about which factors have the highest potential to trigger habitual self-handicapping and to explain interindividual differences in such behaviors. This meta-analysis is the first to synthesize available evidence across a broad range of potential antecedents of academic self-handicapping reported in 159 studies and 194 independent samples (N = 81,630). The strongest associations with habitual self-handicapping were found for the personality traits conscientiousness (r = À.40) and neuroticism (r = .38) as well as stable trait-like factors such as general self-esteem (r = À.34) and fear of failure (r = .39). Rather malleable factors, such as personal achievement goals (rs = À.19 to .27), showed comparatively smaller effects. Self-handicapping assessment (scale and reliability) significantly moderated most of the investigated associations, thereby implying higher internal validities for some measures compared with others. The reported findings provide important insights into mechanisms of and possible starting points for interventions against self-handicapping in the academic domain. Educational Impact and Implications StatementWhat factors might lead students to strategically and purposefully harm their chances of academic success-that is, to engage in academic self-handicapping? We present the first empirical synthesis of available evidence on such factors. Stable personality characteristics such as low levels of conscientiousness, lack of emotional stability, and the habitual fear of failure emerged as the most powerful predictors of self-handicapping. Students' academic motivation-the desire to learn and improve academically-functions as a protective factor. Learning environments that foster students' academic motivation and alleviate concerns about academic failure are thus needed to reduce students' self-handicapping tendencies.

The effect of social networks on academic self-handicapping with the mediating role of self-regulatory learning strategies and academic achievement among EFL students

“…That is, with students' social networks, their academic self-handicapping increases. These findings are consistent with the empirical findings of researchers such as Uysal and Knee (2012), Callan et al (2014), Fadhli et al (2021), Vrij et al (2021), Funkhouser and Hallam (2022), Schwinger et al (2022).…”

“…Research showed a positive relationship between the use of virtual social networks and self-regulatory learning strategies and the components of self-regulatory learning strategies (cognitive and metacognitive strategies). Theobald (2021) and Schwinger et al (2022) also conclude that social media can facilitate the creation of personal learning environments and enable teachers to implement and develop selfregulatory learning processes such as setting appropriate personal goals, using work strategies to manage information, and engaging in self-monitoring. Self-assessment contributes to the advancement of social knowledge.…”

“…Self-handicapping behavior or choosing a set of behaviors allows a person to attribute failure to external factors and success to internal ones ( Callan et al, 2014 ). Academicc self-handicapping is a defensive strategy in which a person creates barriers before an academic performance to manipulate their documents and act in a way that indicates their inadequacy ( Uysal and Knee, 2012 ; Schwinger et al, 2022 ). Vrij et al (2021) concluded that self-handicapping significantly correlates with high school students’ academic self-efficacy.…”

Promoting a growth mindset decreases behavioral self-handicapping among students who are on the fixed side of the mindset continuum

“…The present results not only confirm these results, but also show that even a very brief mindset induction that took only a few minutes can make a salient difference in the self-handicapping behavior of the vulnerable students with more of a fixed mindset, while such manipulation had less impact on those students who are protected by higher level of prior growth mindset. Additionally, these results are in line with assumptions of Schwinger et al 43 showing the effectiveness of even a very brief emotional-motivational manipulation that could reduce the level of self-handicapping.…”

The ABC of academic procrastination: Functional analysis of a detrimental habit

“…Self-handicapping is a form of active self-sabotaging that people perform to establish specific external events as excuses if subsequent performance fails. Thus, rather than forgetting or postponing preparatory behaviors, self-handicapping implies a tendency to engage in strategically delayed behaviors that protect self-esteem (e.g., Strube, 1986 ; Schwinger et al, 2021 ). For example, staying up late the night before an important exam may later be used as an excuse if the exam results are not as positive as expected.…”