title: Fear appeals, engagement, and examination performance: The role of challenge and threat appraisals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fear appeals are persuasive messages that draw attention to the negative consequences (e.g., academic failure) that follow a particular course of action (e.g., not engaging in lessons) and how negative consequences can be avoided with an alternate course of action. Previous studies have shown that when fear appeals are appraised as threatening, they are related to lower examination performance.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In this study, we examined how challenge, as well as threat, appraisals are indirectly related to performance on a mathematics examination through behavioural engagement.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 579 students from two secondary schools.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected over four waves at approximately 3-month intervals. Behavioural engagement data were collected at T1and T3, fear appeal frequency and appraisal at T3, and examination performance at T2and T4.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A challenge appraisal of fear appeals predicted better examination performance through higher behavioural engagement whereas a threat appraisal of fear appeals predicted worse examination performance through lower behavioural engagement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The relationship between fear appeals and examination performance depended on their appraisal.
authors.affiliation: School of Education, Liverpool John Moores University, UK.
authors.forename: David W
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5196-4270
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Putwain
authors.affiliation: Department of Education and Social Justice, University of Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Symes
authors.affiliation: School of Education, Liverpool John Moores University, UK.
authors.forename: Hannah M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
mesh_terms: D000073978:Academic Performance; D000328:Adult; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D013334:Students; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: achievement; challenge; engagement; fear appeals; threat