Congratulations Meg Kapil who successfully Defended her PhD Dissertation in April, 2024
Doing well and Feeling Well: Investigating the Contributions of Two Stress Related Appraisals and Regulatory Practices on Student Success Outcomes
Doctoral Dissertation
Dr. Meg Kapil (University of Victoria)
Student success is facilitated by effectively navigating academic demands and the inevitable stress that is experienced in the academic context. Appraisals and beliefs about stress impact coping, however they have been underexamined in academic settings. Stress Optimization and Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) theory inform the understanding of stress responses and learning processes respectively. Despite the importance for student success of managing both stress and academic demands, there is a paucity of research examining their combined contributions. This two study dissertation examined: (a) the predictive capacity of two stress appraisals, coping self-efficacy (CSE) and stress mindset (SM), on student success outcomes which were comprised of student academic experiences (e.g., academic wellbeing, motivation challenges, social emotional challenges) and performance (GPA) and (b) the mediating role of regulatory practices (e.g., metacognitive monitoring and adapting, academic social engagement) on the relationship between stress appraisals and student success. First, a case is made for an integrated theoretical framework that incorporates stress optimization and SRL. Second, a literature review delineates research expectations. Third, paper one utilizes regression to examine CSE and SM as predictors of student success outcomes. Fourth, paper two utilizes structural equation modeling to examine associations between stress appraisals, regulatory practices, and student success outcomes. Findings show: (a) CSE and SM predicted student success outcomes directly, (b) CSE was a stronger predictor of student success than stress mindset, and (c) regulatory practices can promote student success beyond what is provided by stress appraisals alone. This research is important for understanding adaptive responses to stress in academic contexts.