Apathy and Academic Failure among Students: Results of a Pilot Longitudinal Study

Abstract

The current study was aimed to examine the impact of psychological adjustment / maladjustment on the academic performance of Russian university students. Previous studies have shown that academic performance is closely related to alienation from study, study engagement, academic motivation, perceived stress, academic control, and boredom proneness. Some researchers also have suggested that adolescent apathy may be the risk factor for academic failure among university students. In turn, the American psychologist R. Handelman defined adolescent apathy as a specific state of lack of goal-setting, energy and interest, indifference to changes and experience of difficulties in making decisions in young adults [27]. In September 2019, 103 students (73 females and 30 males) aged 16 to 21 years from several Moscow universities filled out instruments assessing adolescent apathy, alienation from study, study engagement, academic motivation, perceived stress, academic control, and boredom proneness. The study was conducted at seminars in psychological disciplines. All study participants received bonus points in these disciplines. In January 2019, based on the results of the examination session, an average score was calculated for each study participant. This score became a criterion for academic performance of university students. There were no statistically significant age and gender differences in the scores of psychological adjustment / maladjustment. The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that adolescent apathy was the single indicator that affects the academic performance of university students. Thus, the higher scores of adolescent apathy university students showed at the beginning of the academic year, the lower the average scores they received for the first exam session. Based on these data, it was concluded that adolescent apathy is a risk factor for academic failure and can serve as a target for preventive and interventional measures related to academic failure among Russian university students. Currently, in foreign practice, programs and recommendations are being developed and implemented for teachers of higher educational institutions who are faced with the adolescent apathy outcomes. Perhaps this study, which has proved the importance of adolescent apathy in the context of academic failure among university students, will be the first step towards the development and implementation of similar programs and recommendations for Russian educational institutions.