Pattern Approach to Coping with School Failure for Better Learning Outcomes: Reconsidering Relationships between Coping, Personality, Self-Esteem and Test Anxiety

This study investigates personality-coping relationship through pattern approach to coping with school failure. Students using different patterns of coping when confronted with an academic stressor were described with respect to their scores on extraversion, neuroticism, test anxiety and self-esteem scales.The sample consisted of 436 Croatian elementary school students (214 girls and 222 boys, mean age 12.72). Data regarding the students? sex and age were collected in addition to coping scales, and measures of extroversion, neuroticism, test anxiety and self-esteem. Six groups with different pattern of coping were compared. Two of the groups consist of students who have very high or very low score on all coping strategies. The remaining students were classified into four groups: a) students focused strictly on problem-focused coping, b) those focused on both problem solving and social support, c) those focused on avoidant coping, and d) emotionally reactive students.Current results show that these students differ with respect to all variables included in the study: self-esteem, neuroticism, extraversion, and test anxiety. Advantages of the pattern analysis approach in explaining some contradictory findings from previous correlational research are emphasized together with the teacher?s role in facilitating adaptive coping strategies for pupils better learning outcomes.