Factors associated with fear of failure in schools
Specific Aims of the study The specific objectives of the study were to ascertain: (1) whether significant differences exist within different schools between pupils classified according to form membership for certain personality variables, educational achievement, reasoning, attitude towards school and fear of failure. (2) whether significant differences exist between the sexes classified according to school and form membership for certain personality variables, reasoning, attitude towards school, and fear of failure* (3) whether significant differences exist between schools for performance on certain personality, reasoning, educational achievement, attitude towards school and fear of failure tests and or inventories. (4) whether any significant relationships exist between the variables selected for study (a) for the total sample of pupils, and (b) for pupils classified according to form and school membership. The sample The sample comprised 157 primary school pupils in the age range 10-11 years, drawn from three junior schools* There were 81 boys in the sample and 76 girls. Instruments Employed to obtain Data (1) Reading - bchonell R.4. (2) Reasoning - The Progressive Matrices Sest (3) Extraversion and Neuroticism - The Junior Eysenck Personality Inventory (4) Anxiety - The Boxall Test (5) Self Concept - The Lipsitt Test (6) Self -Esteem - The Coopersmith Self-esteem Inventory (7) Fear of Failure - Self Designed (8) Mathematics - Graded Arithmetic Mathematics Test (Junior) P.E. Vernon (9) Attitude towards School - Fitts Attitude toward School Scale. Main Findings (1) Form Differences Significant differences for certain variables occurred between forms in Blaencaerau and Garth junior schools. For Blaencaerau these were (a) forms 1O and 11 for extraversion and fear of failure; (b) forms 1O and 12 for anxiety, attitude to school and mathematical achievement; (c) forms 11 and 12 for anxiety, self concept, attitude to school and mathematical achievement. For Garth there were significant differences between forms 7 and 8 for reading, reasoning, fear of failure, attitude to school, and mathematical achievement. (2) Sex Differences For the total sample of boys and girls significant differences occurred for anxiety, self-esteem, fear of failure and attitude to school. Significant sex differences for neuroticism, anxiety, self-concept and self esteem occurred for all Blaencaerau pupils, and significant differences between the sexes in Garth junior school occurred for anxiety and failure. However, in Llangynwyd junior school no significant sex differences occurred. Significant sex differences occurred in classes 10 and 11 on Blaencaerau school for the following variables: class 10 - neuroticism, self-esteem, fear of failure and mathematical achievement; class 11 - extraversion, anxiety and self-esteem. A significant sex difference for anxiety occurred in class 7 of Garth junior school. 3) School Differences Significant school differences occurred between schools for the following variables* Blaencaerau and Garth - extraversion and anxiety; Blaencaerau and Llangynwyd - fear of failure and mathematical achievement; Garth and Llangynwyd - anxiety and fear of failure. (4) Correlations For the total sample (N * 157) significant correlations occurred for the following: (a) reading and all variables other than neuroticism; (b) matrices scores and all variables other than extraversion and neuroticism; (c) extraversion and all variables, other than reasoning, anxiety, mathematics , attitude to school, and fear of failure) (d) neuroticism and all variables, other than reading, attitude to school and Mathematics; (e) anxiety and all variables, other than self-concept, attitude to school, and mathematics (f) self-concept and all variables, other than anxiety; (g) self-esteem and all variables; (h) fear of failure and all variables, other than extraversion, attitude to school and mathematics; (i) attitude towards school and all variables, other than extraversion, neuroticism, anxiety, and fear of failure) (j) mathematics and all variables, other than extraversion, neuroticism, anxiety, and fear of failure. Significant correlations occurred between some variables within forms in each school.
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