Fear appeals prior to a high-stakes examination can have a positive or negative impact on engagement depending on how the message is appraised

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that teachers may use messages that focus on the importance of avoiding failure (fear appeals) prior to high-stakes examinations as a motivational tactic. The aim of this study was to examine whether fear appeals, and their appraisal as challenging or threatening, impacted on student engagement. Data were collected from 1373 students, clustered in 46 classes, and 81 teachers responsible for instruction in those classes, prior to a high-stakes mathematics secondary school exit examination. Data were analyzed in a multilevel structural equation model. The appraisal of fear appeals as challenging lead to greater student engagement and as threatening to lower student engagement. The impact of fear appeals on engagement was mediated by a threat appraisal. The effectiveness of fear appeals as a motivational strategy depends on how they are interpreted by students.

Fear appeals, engagement, and examination performance: The role of challenge and threat appraisals

“…These findings are consistent with theoretical propositions that the growth and mastery focus of a challenge appraisal lead to more adaptive outcomes, such as study behaviours, whereas the avoidance and self‐protective focus of a threat appraisal lead to less adaptive outcomes. Results are consistent with the previous findings concerning fear appeal appraisals and student engagement (Putwain et al ., ) as well as findings from the educational psychology literature more generally that link mastery to positive learning and achievement outcomes and avoidance to negative learning and achievement outcomes (e.g., Lau et al ., ; Liew et al ., ; McGregor & Elliot, ; Schwinger et al ., ; Shutz et al ., ).…”

“…Participants responded to items on a 5‐point scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree), so that a higher score represents a greater frequency of use, challenge or threat appraisal. The reliability and construct validity of data collected using this scale have been demonstrated in previous studies (e.g., Putwain et al ., , ). In the present study, the internal reliability estimates (see Table ) were acceptable (Cronbach's alpha > .7).…”

“…Somewhat paradoxically, when teachers use fear appeals more frequently, students report making more challenge and threat appraisals (e.g., Putwain, Remedios, & Symes, ; Putwain et al ., ). Given that challenge and threat have differing foci and outcomes, this finding might seem initially puzzling.…”

“…Similarly, these propositions are consistent with theory and evidence showing that avoidance foci and behaviours are associated with lower behavioural engagement (e.g., Lau, Liem, & Nie, ; Liew, Lench, Kao, Yeh, & Kwock, ; Schwinger, Wirthwien, Lemmer, & Steinmayr, ; Shutz, Benson, & Decuir‐Gunby, ). Empirically speaking, challenge appraisal of fear appeals has been shown to predict greater behavioural engagement in secondary school students, and threat appraisal to predict lower behavioural engagement, when controlling for prior engagement (Putwain et al ., ).…”

Different goals, different pathways to success: Performance-approach goals as direct and mastery-approach goals as indirect predictors of grades in mathematics

“…As said, challenge seeking constitutes an adaptive motivational response pattern (Dweck & Leggett, 1988), namely because it is inherently tied with intrinsic motivation (Lepper, Corpus, & Iyengar, 2005). Indeed, students who enjoy challenges (or perceive academic tasks as such) are more likely to recruit their inner resources and invest more time and effort in their schoolwork (Putwain et al, 2016;Strati, Schmidt, & Maier, 2017). Besides, as Grant and Dweck (2003) have shown, seeking challenging tasks and striving for learning are closely associated to each other and they together predict more energy expenditure and persistence in class work (see also Donnellan, 2008).…”