Exam Stress and Coping

The transaction theory of stress and coping Developed by Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman in 1984 is, perhaps, the single most useful framework to have emerged from the cognitive revolution. The theory itself is simple: stress results from the transaction of environmental factors with the individual's appraisal of and attempt to cope with those environmental threats. In practical terms, the theory suggests that when individual is confronted with a demand they: (1) appraise it in terms of whether it is personally significant and meaningful to them; and (2) appraise their avaliable resources in relation to whether they will be sufficient to cope with the demand. It is the outcome of this appraisal which leads to the choice and implementation of particular coping efforts and in turn predicts short term strain and long term burnout and distress. The theory is hardly new, has been tested and supported extensively, and its practical and stress management implications have continually been promoted by leading stress researchers such as Philip Dewe.

While the transactional model remains one of the most widely studies and implemented stress frameworks in the literature it seems that someone has failed to give the memo to researchers studying teacher burnout. It is odd that in 2009 we still get articles on teachers stress that fail to mention the transactional model, pay it mere lip service, or write about the model as if it refers only to environmental stressors and coping responses completely ignore the role of cognitive appraisal. Sadly, when it comes to research on teacher stress this seems to be the rule rather than the exception!

Thankfully, this is not case when it comes to research with children. Indeed, following on from the excellent work of Erica Frydenberg, a group of French researchers have shown the value of applying Lazarus and Folkman’s model to students facing examinations. In this research, appraisal of the threat in terms of beliefs in intelligence and ability as fixed or malleable predicted the type and range of coping strategies used. In particular, students who believed intenlligence and abilty could be improved, coped with the stress of upcoming exames via active task-focused coping, presumably based on an appraisal that effort is the important predictor in success or failure. In contrast, those that viewed intelligence and ability as fixed traits tended to use emotion-focused coping behaviours designed to prop up their ego, presumable based on the appraisal that it is their god given talents rather their effort that would be the sole determinate of success of failure.

Not only does this research acknowledge the strength of the transactional approach and focus on both appraisal cognitions and coping together, it also illustrates a major them I plan for this blog. That is that it successfully integrates theories developed in educational contexts with children with theories largely utilised in occupational research to develop new, creative, and important approaches to the study of achievement domains.