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Fear of Failure: Friend or Foe?
Abstract
Fear of failure is examined from a need achievement perspective and in the context of research amongst high school and university students. Theory and data suggest that fear of failure can be separated into two camps: overstriving and self-protection. Although each has yields in terms of achievement or in terms of self-protection, they render the academic process an uncertain one for students marked by anxiety, low resilience, and vulnerability to learned helplessness. A cascading model of failure avoidance is developed that differentiates various aspects of fear of failure on the basis of a number of correlates and outcomes and provides direction for intervention. An alternative orientation—success orientation—is explored in detail as are four factors identified as the key means to promote success orientation. These factors are self-belief, control, learning focus, and value of school and ways to promote these in the educational and counselling context are discussed.
... Rights reserved. disengagement as a protective response (Martin & Marsh, 2003). Previous literature has highlighted that adults with ADHD experience more repeated failure, leaving them with a more fragile sense of self-worth (Martin, 2012;Newark et al., 2016). ...
... It is also important to consider the relations among sex/gender, ADHD, and PIB/SH given that significant sex/gender differences have been found in the SH literature (McCrea, 2008) and have been underexplored in the PIB literature. Martin and Marsh (2003) predicted that the self-protective value of PIB and SH diminish over time and may lead to disengagement and failure acceptance. That is, similar to learned helplessness, children with ADHD may become desensitized to failure and are no longer surprised by it. ...
Adults with ADHD may engage in two distinct but related social-cognitive processes: positive illusory bias (PIB) and self-handicapping (SH). A theoretical basis for these mechanisms in ADHD is provided through the self-worth theory of achievement motivation. These mechanisms may initially serve a self-protective function, but ultimately lead to negative outcomes. However, research in this area is limited, and most of what is known about PIB and SH is not specific to adults with ADHD. We conducted a scoping review of the extant literature of PIB and SH among adults with ADHD. Eight studies were reviewed (six PIB and two SH). Results suggest that adults with ADHD may be more likely to engage in PIB and SH than their non-ADHD peers, and that engaging in these patterns may lead to worsened outcomes over time. The findings are limited by a small number of studies with varying sampling, operational definitions, and measures. Recommendations for research and clinical work are provided, including considering various ways to operationalize PIB and SH, investigating the impact of PIB and SH on assessment reporting style (i.e., under- versus over-reporting), and considering the role of PIB and SH in the treatment of ADHD in adults.
... Although achievement motivation is a multidimensional, complex concept, a common distinction is the motive to avoid failure (e.g., FoF) and the motive to master learning (e.g., MG), which are common in achievement contexts (Pintrich, 2003). FoF represents the drive and emotional response to avoid failure or potential poor performance, including external concern about others' judgment (Covington, 1985;Martin & Marsh, 2003). In contrast, MG represent the intrinsic desire to develop mastery of tasks and improve competence through hard work (McGregor & Elliot, 2005;Sagar & Jowett, 2015). ...
... Notably, the effect of MG on well-being is not moderated by social mobility, which is also inconsistent with the findings of FoF. This discrepancy suggests that FoF may reflect an affect-based motivation rooted in external concern (i.e., fear of judgment), making its connection with emotional outcomes more susceptible to environmental influences (e.g., McGregor & Elliot, 2005;Martin & Marsh, 2003;Pekrun, 2017). In learning environments that provide equal opportunities for all students, those who possess high levels of FoF may find it challenging to attribute their failures to external circumstances. ...
Achievement motivation encompasses a well-establish distinction between the motive to avoid failure (e.g., fear of failure) and the orientation to improve competence (e.g., mastery goal). But how well do they generalize across cultures in understanding students’ performance and well-being? We argue that students’ achievement motivation is less pronounced in societies characterized by low (vs. high) social mobility, where people have fewer opportunities to change their social status. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed a cross-national data set (n = 498,362 high-school students from 65 regions) using multilevel modeling. The results indicated that societal-level social mobility significantly moderated the role of (a) mastery goals and fear of failure on academic performance and (b) fear of failure on well-being. These associations were stronger in societies with high (vs. low) social mobility, suggesting that students derive greater academic benefits from mastery goals and fear of failure in societies with higher social mobility. In such societies, however, fear of failure also poses a stronger hindrance to students’ well-being. These findings highlight that the same type of motivation may operate differently across cultures and that socioecological environments may influence the motivational impacts on learning and well-being.
... Therefore, at the same time as addressing the learning impediments of lockdown and isolation, it will be helpful to also address students' self-handicapping and disengagement. These two factors have been drawn together under need achievement and self-worth theories and these theories have informed practical intervention (Covington, 2000;Martin & Marsh, 2003). For example, under these two theories, fear of failure is an influential driver of students' tendency to self-handicap and inclination to disengage. ...
... Educators might also look to shape students' perceptions of success so that success is seen more in terms of personal improvement than outperforming others (Martin, Burns, et al., 2021). By instilling more positive constructions of failure and poor performance, and also framing success in more achievable ways, students are less inclined towards problematic failure dynamics in the forms of self-handicapping and disengagement (Martin & Marsh, 2003). Framing poor performance and failure in these constructive ways may also help address "failure to fail" in higher education (i.e., a reluctance to fail students who are under-performing; Mak-van der Vossen, 2019). ...
This investigation comprised two studies that sought to identify the role of COVID-related disruptions in Australian university students’ academic motivation and engagement. Study 1 involved a dataset of 500 university students and examined links between COVID-19 pandemic disruptions (remote and hybrid learning modes, lockdown, isolation) and students’ adaptive (e.g., planning and monitoring) and maladaptive (e.g., disengagement) dimensions of the Motivation and Engagement Scale (MES). Study 2 compared the mean motivation and engagement of Study 1 participants with mean levels from four published pre-COVID-19 Australian studies (N = 55, N = 233, N = 420, N = 941 university students) that also used the MES. Study 1 showed that lockdown and isolation (and not remote/hybrid learning) were associated with problematic motivation and engagement—with lockdown and isolation effects particularly noteworthy for maladaptive motivation and engagement. Study 2 showed that relative to the four pre-COVID-19 samples, the COVID-19 pandemic sample experienced difficulties with motivation and engagement, and again particularly so on maladaptive dimensions.
... According to Martin (2006) the motivation role is of vital importance for developing learners' interest and gratification in school. Motivation is indispensable in raising learners' achievement (Brown, 2000) and (Martin, and Marsh, 2003). Motivational skills are praise and reproof, teacher's personality, learning environment, setting of appropriate goals, rewards and punishment, students' interests, competitions, teaching strategies, novelty, audio-visual aids and feedback. ...
The study was conducted to examine relationship between different classroom management skills of teachers on students' academic achievement in the subject of Physics at secondary school level. A null hypothesis developed stating no relationship existed between management skills and students' success. It was a survey research conducted in district Abbottabad focusing on 48 randomly selected Teachers who were teaching physic at secondary classes in public schools. A questionnaire having statements about different classroom management skills was developed and data were collected. Reliability was ensured before collecting data and annual results of Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education district Abbottabad were consulted to calculate the co-relation coefficient. Time and motivational management skills shown better results of student as compared to human relations, environment, subject-matter and discipline management skills. It was recommended that teachers of public schools must have refresher courses for updating their management skills.
... Our contention is that these negative emotional experiences may not necessarily lead to impaired leadership behaviors. Instead, we posit that positive and negative emotions are commonplace (Namier, 1992) and that threatbased emotions (e.g., fear) can be both friends or foes, causing individuals to either be overwhelmed by them or, conversely, to strive harder toward goal achievement (Martin & Marsh 2003). For example, evidence from neuroscience and evolutionary psychology research indicates that threat-based emotions may be adaptive when they occur among individuals with a background experience of positive emotions (Garland et al., 2010;Gilbert, 2012Gilbert, , 2015Le Doux, 1998;Panksepp, 1998). ...
The literature generally surmises that negative affective states of leaders are detrimental to leader effectiveness and work outcomes. Taking the opposite view, this study explores how the negative affective experiences of leaders related to COVID-19 may foster team commitment and employee performance. By integrating personality systems interaction theory, cognitive appraisal theory, and the literature on stress-based emotions, we develop a model that clarifies when, how, and to what extent leader fearful states related to COVID-19 drive employee performance. Using three-wave and multisource data from 579 employees and their leaders from 69 teams, we found that among leaders who exhibited higher levels of positive affectivity, leader fear of COVID-19 indirectly fostered employee performance via the mediating roles of leader promotion of team goals and team commitment. Moreover, these moderated indirect effects were strongest at moderate levels of leader fear of COVID-19. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for research on leader affective states.
... The meaning of fear of failure is different for different people; some people think that fear of failure spurs performance, and on the other hand, some people believe fear causes failure [51]. Martin and Marsh [52] suggested that fear of failure can be divided into two categories with positive and negative outcomes, namely over-striving and self-protection. Morgan and Sisak [53] identified that the success threshold is the criteria to determine if fear of failure has a positive or negative impact on investment decisions. ...
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of stress factors on entrepreneurial failure and to examine the relationship between prior entrepreneurial failure and future fear of failure. This study takes a novel approach by considering the moderating role of social support on this relationship. We employed the least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique to analyze the responses of 162 failed entrepreneurs in Oman. Our findings demonstrate that stress factors in all four dimensions (managerial and planning elements, working capital, competitive environment, and growth and overexpansion) have a significant impact on entrepreneurial failure. Moreover, the results reveal that prior entrepreneurial failure is positively related to fear of failure. However, social support has a crucial moderating effect on the relationship between prior failure and present and future failure-related anxiety, reducing the influence of prior entrepreneurial failure on entrepreneurs’ fear of failure. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of the antecedents and outcomes of entrepreneurial failure and offers practical implications for policymakers and practitioners seeking to promote entrepreneurship and reduce failure rates.
The aim of the study was to see the effect of 32 weeks of psychological skill training on fear of injury in gymnastics which affects the performance of a Gymnast. 30 Gymnasts (10 Boys and 20 Girls) from two distinct private gymnastics academies (Excellence Gymnastics Private Limited Gurugram Haryana and The Gymnastics Academy Dwarka, Delhi) participated in the research. 21 out of 30 were playing on State level and 9 were competing on National level in the competitions. The training age of the subject were divided into 3 age category (0-3 years, 3-6 years and 7 years onwards). The study's subject population ranged in age from 10 to 17 years old. The mean age of the subjects were 12.2 years (M=12.2).training was given for 8 months in total which were further divided into two parts (technique learning 4 months&self-practice 4 months)training were given for twenty minutes each for twice a week. In order to find out the changes, or effect, data were collected 3 times(Pre, Post 1 & Post 2) and both qualitative and quantitative results were recorded. Repeated measure ANOVA were used on 0.05 significant level in SPSS and qualitative analytical software NVivo (trial version)were used. Researcher found highest increase in score between Pre to Post 1.Researcher found declined in fear of injury scores between post-1 to post-2. Individual performance of gymnast shows majority of the people in average category. It is suggested for future investigation and research that self-practice phase should be guided and observed and should not be for longer duration.
Background:
Loneliness during adolescence has adverse consequences for mental health, education and employment outcomes. Yet, we know little about common correlates of loneliness among adolescents, making intervention work difficult.
Aims:
In this study, we (1) explore individual-, school- and country-level correlates of loneliness to help identify potential intervention targets, and (2) examine the influence of loneliness on academic performance.
Sample:
A total of 518,210 students aged 15 years from 75 countries provided self-reported loneliness data.
Results:
Using multilevel modelling, we found individual-, school- and country-level correlates of self-reported school-based loneliness, and showed that loneliness negatively influenced academic performance.
Conclusions:
Based on the findings, interventions that focus on enhancing social and emotional skills, increasing trust between teachers and students and changing school climate to be more inclusive are likely to be the most effective for adolescents; they should also be culturally sensitive.
Motivation and instruction are two major substantive domains in educational psychology. Theory and research relevant to each of these domains tend to be diffuse and fragmented. This presents challenges for scholars and practitioners seeking to implement parsimonious and cohesive approaches to help students to learn. This review articulates a two-step integration process that is an illustrative effort towards tackling these challenges and unifying two psycho-educational domains: intra-domain integration (within each of motivation and instruction) and inter-domain integration (between motivation and instruction). With respect to motivation, the Motivation and Engagement Wheel (Martin, 2007) is presented as an example of intra-domain integration of key facets of motivation (Step 1a). With respect to instruction, Load Reduction Instruction (LRI; Martin, 2016; Martin & Evans, 2018) is an example of intra-domain integration of explicit instruction and guided independent learning (Step 1b). The review then proposes an inter-domain integration of motivation and instruction (Step 2), arguing that each domain is tied to the other. The joint operation of intra- and inter-domain integration of motivation and instruction holds potential for more coherent theorizing, measurement, and practical application.
In this chapter a theory of motivation and emotion developed from an attributional perspective is presented. Before undertaking this central task, it might be beneficial to review the progression of the book. In Chapter 1 it was suggested that causal attributions have been prevalent throughout history and in disparate cultures. Studies reviewed in Chapter 2 revealed a large number of causal ascriptions within motivational domains, and different ascriptions in disparate domains. Yet some attributions, particularly ability and effort in the achievement area, dominate causal thinking. To compare and contrast causes such as ability and effort, their common denominators or shared properties were identified. Three causal dimensions, examined in Chapter 3, are locus, stability, and controllability, with intentionality and globality as other possible causal properties. As documented in Chapter 4, the perceived stability of a cause influences the subjective probability of success following a previous success or failure; causes perceived as enduring increase the certainty that the prior outcome will be repeated in the future. And all the causal dimensions, as well as the outcome of an activity and specific causes, influence the emotions experienced after attainment or nonattainment of a goal. The affects linked to causal dimensions include pride (with locus), hopelessness and resignation (with stability), and anger, gratitude, guilt, pity, and shame (with controllability).
This paper assesses the psychometric properties of the Student Motivation Scale, an instrument measuring school students' motivation. Motivation is assessed through nine measures, separated into what are referred to as boosters and guzzlers. Boosters are constructs that reflect adaptive motivation and guzzlers are constructs that reflect less adaptive motivation. Boosters are subsumed by thoughts (self-belief, learning focus, value of schooling) and behaviours (persistence and planning and monitoring). Guzzlers are subsumed by thoughts or feelings (low control and anxiety) and behaviours (avoidance and self-sabotage). Data show that the Student Motivation Scale has a clear factor structure reflecting the hypothesised five boosters and four guzzlers, is reliable, and correlated with achievement. Gender and year level differences also emerge: girls are significantly more learning focused and engage in more planning and monitoring than boys; girls are significantly more anxious than boys; Year 9 students are significantly lower than Year 10 and Year 11 students in learning focus, significantly higher than Year 11 students in avoidance, and significantly higher than Year 10 and Year 11 students in self-sabotage. Strategies for intervention are discussed in the context of these findings and the issue of academic resilience is introduced as an additional aspect of motivation that the Student Motivation Scale is able to assess.
A new conceptualization of perceived control was used to test a process model describing the contribution of these perceptions to school achievement for students in elementary school (N = 220). Three sets of beliefs were distinguished: (a) expectations about whether one can influence success and failure in school (control beliefs); (b) expectations about the strategies that are effective in producing academic outcomes; and (c) expectations about one's own capacities to execute these strategies. Correlational and path analyses were consistent with a process model which predicted that children's perceived control (self-report) influences academic performance (grades and achievement test scores) by promoting or undermining active engagement in learning activities (as reported by teachers) and that teachers positively influence children's perceived control by provision of contingency and involvement (as reported by students). These results have implications for theories of perceived control and also suggest one pathway by which teachers can enhance children's motivation in school.
In 2 experiments, college student Ss were instructed to choose between a drug that allegedly interfered with performance and a drug that allegedly enhanced performance. This choice was the main dependent measure of the experiment. The drug choice intervened between work on soluble or insoluble problems and a promised retest on similar problems. In Exp I with 68 males and 43 females, all Ss received success feedback after their initial problem-solving attempts, thus creating one condition in which the success appeared to be accidental (noncontingent on performance) and one in which the success appeared to be contingent on appropriate knowledge. Males in the noncontingent-success condition were alone in preferring the performance-inhibiting drug, presumably because they wished to externalize probable failure on the retest. The predicted effect, however, did not hold for female Ss. Exp II, with 87 Ss, replicated the unique preference shown by males after noncontingent success and showed the critical importance of success feedback. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).
The learned helplessness hypothesis is criticized and reformulated. The old hypothesis, when applied to learned helplessness in humans, has two major problems: (a) It does not distinguish between cases in which outcomes are uncontrollable for all people and cases in which they are uncontrollable only for some people (univervsal vs. personal helplessness), and (b) it does not explain when helplessness is general and when specific, or when chronic and when acute. A reformulation based on a revision of attribution theory is proposed to resolve these inadequacies. According to the reformulation, once people perceive noncontingency, they attribute their helplessness to a cause. This cause can be stable or unstable, global or specific, and internal or external. The attribution chosen influences whether expectation of future helplessness will be chronic or acute, broad or narrow, and whether helplessness will lower self-esteem or not. The implications of this reformulation of human helplessness for the learned helplessness model of depression are outlined.