Pervasive avoidance is one of the central symptoms of all anxiety-related disorders. In treatment, avoidance behaviors are typically discouraged because they are assumed to maintain anxiety. Yet, it is not clear if engaging in avoidance is always detrimental. In this study, we used a platform-mediated avoidance task to investigate the influence of…

Background: Academic achievement goals are important for student outcomes, including their well-being, collaboration with peers, and academic achievement. Theory and research also indicate that achievement goals are linked to students' social context, playing a role in forming and maintaining peer relationships within the school environment. Aims:…

Stimulating outperformance has been increasingly emphasized in educational policies. Although personally satisfying, outperformance can also lead to interpersonal strain, which is often overlooked in the educational excellence discourse. Exline and Lobel (1999, "Psychological Bulletin, 125"(3), 307-337) coined Sensitivity about being the…

The current study investigated the relationship between regulatory focus, perfectionism, and school burnout. Regulatory focus theory posits two self-regulatory styles: promotion focus and prevention focus. Similarly, perfectionism also consists of two components: perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns. Taken together, promotion…

Imposter syndrome can lead to feelings of self-doubt, fear of failure, overpreparation, procrastination, and guilt about subsequent success. Because imposter syndrome is linked to structural inequities, women of color (WOC) may be particularly impacted by feelings of imposter syndrome due to encounters with racism, sexism, and gender…

Why are most African American students in lower-track classes in racially diverse schools? How does the nexus of home, school, and community impact African Americans' academic placement in a racially and economically diverse school district? This research used ethnographic methods to explore 38 African American middle school students' perceptions…

Fear of failure undermines students' learning and well-being. However, despite the prevalence of fear of failure, there is a lack of a measurement tool explicitly designed to assess the fear of failure in learning among Chinese students. This study aimed to adapt and validate the Chinese version of the Fear of Failure in Learning Scale (C-FOFLS).…

Students' beliefs about whether they will experience changes in their socioeconomic status influence their academic motivation. We propose that students who are concerned about downward socioeconomic mobility will focus their attention on negative academic outcomes and exhibit motivational goals oriented towards preventing negative possibilities…

Despite generous financial aid provided by the government for low-income students studying at universities, eligible students are still reluctant to apply for such aid. This study aimed to assess the effects of students' expectations; knowledge, attitudes, and actions toward higher education; financial aid; parental, school, and student…

Objective: This study aimed to better understand the mental health experiences of students as they prepared to transition out of university. Participants: Participants included 18 recently graduated students from a Canadian university. Methods: Virtual one-on-one semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted and analyzed following the…

The goal of the present study was to examine factors associated with academic self-handicapping in Black students attending a predominantly white university. Factors examined included sociodemographic factors (gender, first-generation college student status); psychological factors (family support, perceived discrimination, Black identity); and…

Since the General Educational Development (GED) Program was established in 1943, more than 17 million people have received a GED Credential. According to the American Council on Education (ACOE), the GED test is considered an alternative option to the US High school diploma, HiSET and TASC tests; the GED test verifies whether the test taker has…

Despite the attempts to target success and predisposition to taking risks to promote innovation, sometimes educational developers encounter moments where they fail to meet expectations set forth--by their institutions, colleagues, or themselves. Attempts to avoid potential failures can stymie the creative process, preventing them from meeting…

Researchers, school personnel and parents are concerned with students' academic motivation. However, research on the topic yields ambiguous results. While adolescents in Western societies report a decline in achievement drive over the school years, adolescents in some Eastern societies may avoid this negative trend. In addition to personal…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between athletes' perceptions of the motivational climate (caring, task-, and ego-involving) to their levels of compassion, self-compassion, pride, and shame in a recreational sport setting. Athletes (N = 164) in a competitive Wiffle Ball tournament completed a survey. A canonical…