Coping with school failure: Characteristics of students employing successful and unsuccessful coping strategies
This study examined the characteristics of four groups of children employing positive, defensive, self-blame, or mixed strategies to cope with a failure experience in school. The findings indicated that children who employ positive/action-oriented strategies are more likely to have higher academic achievement and a higher sense of self-worth. In addition, they tend to view themselves as more competent in the area of scholastic achievement and express that they feel successful in their peer relations. Although preliminary, these results suggest that children would profit from a school environment that fosters the development of positive/problem-focused skills.