High school students’ tenacity and flexibility in goal pursuit linked to life satisfaction and achievement on competencies tests.

Abstract

Using the dual process theoretical framework (Brandtstädter & Rothermund, 2002), we examined whether the tendency to pursue goals tenaciously (TEN), in conjunction with the tendency to flexibly adjust one's preferences (FLEX), would be beneficial or detrimental for high school students' self-reported life satisfaction and achievement on tests of academic competencies. We used data from a sample of German high school students (N = 10,957) from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), and a combination of machine-learning-based psychometrics and latent structural equation modeling. The results showed that the interaction of TEN and FLEX was negatively associated with both outcomes of life satisfaction and test performance. Having high levels of both TEN and FLEX appear to have no benefit for students' life satisfaction and seem to be counterproductive for their achievement on competencies tests. The findings are consistent with the theory that having high levels of both TEN and FLEX would represent a regulatory dilemma in which the two tendencies work against each other. The results suggest the need for targeted interventions that build on students' personal strengths in tenacity or flexibility to minimize their regulatory dilemma of tenaciously pursuing goals while flexibly adapting them at the same time. Educational Impact and Implications StatementThe purpose of education is not just academic achievement but also the development of life skills that allow students to flourish. Tenacity and flexibility regarding life goals are such skills. In a large sample of high school students, we found that using tenacity and flexibility in conjunction was negatively associated with achievement on competencies tests and life satisfaction. The results suggest the need for targeted interventions that build on students' personal strengths in tenacity or flexibility with respect to goal strivings.

Os fatores associados dos alunos do ensino fundamental e médio no Equador: análise do ciclo de avaliação Ser Estudiante 2020-2021

“…Esta dinámica contrasta con los resultados del estudio realizado por Sahdra et al (2021), donde se demuestra que las tendencias a perseguir objetivos con tenacidad y a ajustar con flexibilidad las propias preferencias, se asocia negativamente tanto con los resultados de satisfacción con la vida como con el desempeño escolar.…”

A Personalised Approach to Identifying Important Determinants of Well-being

“…Cross-sectional analysis is inherently between-person and thus may not allow one to make inferences about within-person relationships or mechanisms of change (Robinson, 2009). For example, research shows that goal tenacity has a positive betweenperson link to student well-being (Sahdra et al, 2022), and thus suggests tenacity be promoted in student interventions. However, that may not hold true at the individual level.…”

How undergraduate students learn: uncovering interrelationships between factors that support self-regulated learning and strategy use

“…8-9). Finally, future empirical work could aim to uncover critical mediators and moderators (e.g., coping strategies when encountering difficulties during learning, such as tenacity and flexibility; Sahdra et al, 2022) that link students' conscientiousness (and/or its facets), self-regulation factors (e.g., effort regulation; engagement), use of learning strategies, and learning effectiveness and/or modulate their interrelationships.…”