Structural Relationships between Coping Strategies, Self-Efficacy, and Fear of Losing One’s Self-Esteem in Science Class

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between coping strategies (positive coping, projective coping, non-coping and denial coping), self-efficacy, and fear of losing one’s self-esteem among secondary school students in science course. The study group consisted of 381 students studying in a large city located in the eastern part of Turkey. The data of the study were obtained using Academic Coping, Self-efficacy, Fear of losing one's self-esteem scales. Data were analyzed with the structural equality model using the Amos program, and the proposed relationships between variables were tested. According to the results obtained from the research, it was found that the positive coping and projective coping strategy predicted positively and the non-coping strategy negatively on self-efficacy. Self-efficacy negatively predicted the fear of losing one’s self-esteem. Additionally, positive coping, denial coping, and non-coping strategies were observed to positively predict the fear of losing one's self-esteem. Additionally, positive coping, projective coping, non-coping, and denial coping strategies variables together explained 28% of the variance in self-efficacy. The self-efficacy and all of the coping strategies explained 48% of the variance in fear of losing one’s self-esteem.