Coping Strategies And Meaning Of Life Among Czech Adolescent Students

Abstract

The purpose of the paper was to clarify the relationship between selected coping strategies to handle stress and perceived meaning of life in adolescents in the context of education. The results of the research enhanced the current understanding because to our knowledge the combination of coping and meaning of life among adolescents had not been addressed so far unlike other factors such as personal characteristics, locus of control, and resilience. The results might be of interest from psychological and educational perspectives, specifically in educational diagnostics and other educational theories. Coping strategies were diagnosed by means of a standardized SVF78 questionnaire. Personal meanings of life were determined by a standardized ESK range. These standardized measurement tools were complemented with questionnaires to evaluate demographic and other data. The research sample included grade 3 and 4 students from various secondary schools in the Olomouc region. The expected outcomes may then determine the conclusions which teachers in secondary schools and students themselves might use, as the results could provide feedback about their coping strategies, evaluate their school load, or possibly about the connections between perceived meaning of life and time management. The most often chosen coping strategies were control strategies (Situation Check, Response Check, and Positive SelfInstruction). Boys showed a higher ability to experience the meaningfulness of their own existence (P + E, mean 150.04) than girls (average 140.95). The strength of the relationship between coping strategies and meaningfulness was of a medium degree.