Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Research in Psychology
Year: 2024
DOI:
[PDF]
Individual Differences Linked to Appraisal of Challenges
Dana Alzahid, Khadija El Alaoui, Nouf Faisal, Arifi Waked, and Maura Pilotti
ABSTRACT:
In a society in transition from a patriarchal order based on tribal traditions to one fostering gender equity, how female students approach challenges may be key to their academic and professional success. To this end, the present study examined the extent to which students’ appraisal of academic challenges (as either threats or opportunities) may be associated with other individual differences and performance outcomes. A sample of 462 female undergraduate students (freshmen and sophomores) attending a Saudi Arabian University was selected through convenience sampling. At the end of an academic semester, students reported their appraisal of academic challenges, self-efficacy (i.e., confidence in their abilities), intrinsic motivation to get things done, beliefs in the impact of appraisal on performance, and self-evaluation of their performance. In this sample, 155 students saw academic challenges as threats and 347 students saw them as opportunities. A point-biserial correlation between students’ type of appraisal of challenges and the other individual difference measures illustrated different patterns of relationships. Namely, students who adopted a threat appraisal reported less self-efficacy and motivation to get things done. They were also more likely to evaluate their performance as less than desirable and to believe that their appraisal would negatively impact their performance. Yet, their objective performance (as measured by grades) was not related to their appraisal. Thus, although threat and opportunity appraisals exhibit emotive correlates that are differentially linked to well-being, extrinsic motives and explicit academic demands, serving as the primary determinants of performance, may make appraisal inconsequential.
keywords: appraisal of challenges, individual differences, performance evaluation, higher education, Middle East