title: Academic Goals and Self-Handicapping Strategies in University Students.
abstract: In highly competitive settings like university, the fear of failure leads some students to protect their self-worth using self-handicapping strategies. The present investigation examines to what extent academic goals are related to those tactics in university students. Specifically, MANCOVA was applied to estimate statistical differences linked to behavioral and claimed self-handicapping strategies according to the level (high/medium/low) of four types of academic goal (achievement approach, achievement avoidance, mastery approach, and work avoidance). Degree, year in school, and gender were entered as covariates. 940 students (86.5% women) from University of A Coruña (M = 20.44; SD = 1.73) participated. Results show that: (a) both behavioral and claimed self-handicapping are promoted by ego-oriented goals (achievement avoidance, F(2, 937) = 23.56, p < .001, η p 2 = .048; achievement approach, F(2, 937) = 7.49, p < .001, η p 2 = .016); (b) work avoidance goals are related to behavioral self-handicapping (F(2, 937) = 9.09, p < .001, η p 2 = .019), but are not statistically linked to claimed self-handicapping; and (c) mastery approach goals are significantly, negatively related to both types of self-handicapping (F(2, 937) = 20.09, p < .001, η p 2 = .041). Psychological and educational implications of the findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Universidade da Coruña(Spain).
authors.forename: María del Mar
authors.initials: Mdel M
authors.lastname: Ferradás
authors.affiliation: Universidade da Coruña(Spain).
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Freire
authors.affiliation: Universidade da Coruña(Spain).
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valle
authors.affiliation: Universidad de Oviedo(Spain).
authors.forename: José Carlos
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9187-1201
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Núñez
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: academic goals; behavioral self-handicapping; claimed self-handicapping; university students