Emotion regulation styles and the tendency to learn from academic failures

Abstract

Background

Research on learners' reactions to failure finds negative emotions may present an obstacle for learning; a painful experience of failure may result in disengagement and avoidance. However, research on styles of emotion regulation and learning from failure is scarce. Self-determination theory's (SDT) conception of adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation differentiates among three styles of regulation: integrative emotion regulation (IER), suppressive emotion regulation (SER) and amotivated emotion regulation.

Aims

Two studies were conducted, one cross-sectional and one longitudinal, to test the associations between IER and learning from failure among adolescents.

Sample

Study 1 comprised 184 adolescents (mean age = 16.55; SD = 1.2). Study 2 comprised 565 adolescents (8–12 graders). The main analysis was based on 192 adolescents' perceptions of failing math grades.

Method

Study 1 surveyed adolescents on their emotion regulation styles, adaptive and maladaptive coping practices when dealing with failure and tendency to learn from failure. Study 2 was longitudinal and focused on failure in math. We approached participants twice, before and after the math test.

Conclusions

In both studies, IER was related to adaptive coping practices and the tendency to learn from failure. In Study 2, adaptive coping practices mediated relations between IER and learning from failure in math and learning from failure mediated relations between IER and future engagement. These findings suggest that styles of emotion regulation play an important role in learning from failure.