Impact of the meaning in life on students' School Adjustment by mediating problem-focused coping and self-acceptance

Document Type : Scientific Articles

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Mazandaran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Counseling, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Mohaghegh Ardabili University, Ardabil, Iran

3 PhD in Psychology and Faculty Member of Babol Institute of Knowledge Road Babol.Babel, Mazandaran

4 Member of the faculty of the Shahid Madani University of Azerbaijan

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the meaning in life on students' school adaptation by mediating problem solving and admission. The research method was descriptive, survey type, the statistical population of the study consisted of all female secondary school students in Babol, in the academic year of 2016-17. Among them, 208 subjects were selected using random cluster sampling. To collect the data, a questionnaire for the meaning in life (Steiger et al. 2006), School Adjustment Questionnaire (Kim, 2002), Coping Strategies Questionnaire (Lazarusand Folkman, 1985) and self-acceptance questionnaire (Chamberlain and Hague, 2001) was used. Data analysis was performed by Pearson correlation and path analysis in SPSS version 23 and Amos version 23. The results indicated that the meaning in life has a positive relationship with problem- focused coping, School adaptation and self-acceptance. School adaptation also has a positive correlation with problem- focused coping and self-acceptance. The meaning in life has a positive effect on School adaptation. Also, problem- focused coping has a significant mediating role in relation to meaning in life and adaptation to school, but self-acceptance itself does not play a mediating role in the relationship between meaning in life and School adaptation. In general, the results of this study show that having meaning and purpose in life can ensure student school adaptation. Also, the abstract and intrinsic style of self-acceptance is not effective to solve problems, but a direct behavioral strategy such as a problem-focused counteraction is efficient.

Keywords

References

8.Bae, J-W. (2002). A study on the influences of the school-related stress and why of coping on school adjustment in high school students. Unpublished master’s thesis, Soongsil University.
9.Ben-Zur, H. (2005). Coping, distress, and life events in a community sample. International Journal of Stress Management, 12(2), 188-196.
10.Chamberlain, J. M., &Haaga, D. A. (2001). Unconditional self-acceptance and responses to negative feedback. Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 19(3), 177-189.
 11.Byrne, B. M. (2010). Structural equation modeling with AMOS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming. Routledge.
12.Catalano RF, Haggerty KP, Oesterle S, Fleming CB, Hawkins JD. (2004). The Importance of Bonding to School for Healthy Development: Findings from the Social Development Research Group. Journal of School Health, 74(7):252–261. [PubMed]
13.Debats, D. L., Drost, J., & Hansen, P. (1995). Experiences of meaning in life: A combined qualitative and quantitative approach. British Journalof Psychology, 86(3), 359-375.
14.Folkman, S. (1997). Positive psychological states and coping with severe stress. Social Science & Medicine, 45(8), 1207-1221.
15.Garcia Alandete, Jس Lozano, B. S., NohaLes, P. S., & Martinez, E. R. (2013). Predictive role of meaning in life on psychological well-being and gender specific differences. Act A colombiAnAdePsicologíA, 16 (1): 17-24.
16.Henry, K. L., Stanley, L. R., Edwards, R. W., Harkabus, L. C., & Chapin, L. (2009). Individual and contextual effects of school adjustment on adolescent alcohol use. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 66, 275-283.
17.Hawkins JD, Guo J, Hill KG, Battin-Pearson S, Abbott RD. (2001). Long-term effects of the Seattle Social Development Intervention on school bonding trajectories. Applied Developmental Science, 5(4):225–236. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
18.Hayes, A. F. (2012). PROCESS: A versatile computational tool for observed variable mediation, moderation, and conditional process modeling. Manuscript submitted for publication.
19.Hu, L.T. and Bentler, P.M. (1999), "Cutoff Criteria for Fit Indexes in Covariance Structure Analysis: Conventional CriteriaVersus New Alternatives, Structural Equation Modeling, 6 (1), 1-55.
20.Kim, A-Y. (2002). Validation of taxonomy of academic motivation based on the self-determination theory. The Korean Journal of EducationalPsychology, 16(4), 169-187.
21.Kim, J-H. (1987). Relations of perceived stress, cognitive set, and coping behaviors to depression: A focus on freshmen’s stress experiences. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Seoul University.
22.Kim, Y-H. (2008). Effects of adolescent attitudes about parenting on their stress, emotional experience, and life satisfaction: Unconditional self-acceptance and soothing ability at a mediator. Unpublished master’s thesis, Hanyang University.
23.Lazarus, R. S. (1993). Coping theory and research: past, present, and future. psychosomatic Medicine, 55(3), 234-247.
24.Lazarus, R. S., &Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer Publishing Company.
25.Leventhal, H., Diefenbach, M., &Leventhal, E. A. (1992). Illness cognition: Using common sense to understand treatment adherence and affectcognition interactions. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 16(2), 143-163.
26.Oetting ER, Beauvais F. Peer cluster theory, socialization characteristics, and adolescent drug use: A path analysis. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1987;34(2):205–213.
27.Park, A-S., & Lee, Y-H. (1992), Influence of the sex role characteristics and stress perception of married women on the coping style for stress. Korean Journal of Counseling Psychology and Psychotherapy, 4(1), 69-79.
28.Park, C. L., & Folkman, S. (1997). Meaning in the context of stress and coping. Review of General Psychology, 1(2), 115-144.
29.Perry, k E. Weinstein, R S. (۱۹۹۰). The social context of early schooling and children’s school adjustment. Educational Psychologies.
30.Rogers, C. R., & Carmichael, L. (1942). Counseling and psychotherapy: Newer concepts in practice. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
31.Ryan AM, Patrick H. The classroom social environment and changes in adolescents' motivation and engagement during middle school. American Educational Research Journal, 2001;38(2):437–460.
32.Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (1985). Optimism, coping, and health: Assessment and implications of generalized outcome expectancies. HealthPsychology, 4(3), 219-247.
 33.Seo, E-K. (2011). Relationship of supervisee perfectionism to supervisory working alliance: Mediating effects of shame, self-acceptance, andcognitive coping. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Ewha University.
34.Shrout, P. E., & Bolger, N. (2002). Mediation in experimental and nonexperimental studies: New procedures and recommendations. Psychological Methods, 7(4), 422-445.
35.Simons-Morton BG, Crump AD. (2003). Association of parental involvement and social competence with school adjustment and engagement among sixth graders. Journal of School Health;73(3):121–126. [PubMed]
36.Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., &Kaler, M. (2006). The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning inlife. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(1), 80.
37.Steger, F. M., & Frazier, P. (2006). The meaning in life questionnaire: Assessingpresence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology,53: 80-93.
38.Steger, M. F., Kashdan, T. B., Sullivan, B. A., & Lorentz, D. (2008). Understanding the search for meaning in life: Personality, cognitive style, and the dynamic between seeking and experiencing meaning. Journal of Personality, 76(2), 199-228.
39.Thompson, S. C. (1985). Finding positive meaning in a stressful event and coping. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 6(4), 279-295.
40.Vallacher, R. R., & Wegner, D. M. (1998). Levels of personal agency: Individual variation in action identification. Journal of Personality andSocial Psychology, 57(4), 660-671.
41.Winga, M. A., Agak, J. O., &Mildred. A, T. (2017). Relationship Between Coping Style and School Adjustment Amongst Secondary School Studentsin Kisumu East Subcounty, Kenya. eujournal.org› Home›13(1). ://www.ijrdo.org/index.php/er/article/download/1867/1711/
42.Yee Ho, M., Cheung, F. M., & Cheung, S. F. (2010). The role of meaning in lifeand optimism in promotiong well-being. Personality and IndividualDifferences, 48: 658- 663
Journal of Educational Psychology Studies
Volume 16, Issue 34
June 2019
Pages 59-76

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics