A Study On The Influence And Functional Mechanism Of Perfectionism On Academic Performance In Senior High School Students

Perfectionism is an important non-intellectual factor affecting senior high school students’learning process and academic performance, commonly conceived of as a stable personality stylecharacterized by striving for flawless-ness and setting of excessively high standards forperformance accompanied by tendencies for overly critical evaluations of one’s behavior.Perfectionism research has changed from maladaptive functioning to two-factor solution. With thedeepening of the study, researchers generally recognized that perfectionism has not only thenegative function but also the positive function，should be divided into adaptive and maladaptivesubtypes. The adaptive and maladaptive function of perfectionism is not independent of eachother, and the positive and negative function of positive and negative perfectionism is relative.Achievement goal orientation and self-handicapping also are important non-intellectual factorsaffecting senior high school students’ academic performance, proved to have close relationshipwith perfectionism and academic performance. Therefore, the study summarized and integratedthese results. The study subjects are senior high school students, and the study attempt to proposemore reasonable theoretical model to describe the perfectionism affecting on academicperformance.Overall, the study is divided into two major parts, theoretical overview and empiricalresearch. Theory and literature review combed the concept, theory development, measurementmethods and related research to academic performance of the perfectionism, achievement goalorientation and self-handicapping, which are the research base for proposing the theoreticalassumptions. The empirical part detailed analyzed of the students’ characteristics and differencesof grade and gender in perfectionism, achievement goal orientation and self-handicapping,analyzed the relationship between perfectionism and academic performance. It further tested the mediation effects of both achievement goal orientation and self-handicapping betweenperfectionism and academic performance. On this basis, stress is introduced as moderated variable,and the present study explored the moderating effects of stress in the self-handicapping mediatingeffect modal.The results indicated that:(1) By testing and revision the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (Chinese edition),Achievement goal orientation scale, self-handicapping scale (Chinese edition), Middle SchoolStudent Stressor Scale, it is found that Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (Chineseedition), self-handicapping scale (Chinese edition), Middle School Student Stressor Scale havegood reliability. And revised goal orientation scale has good reliability and validity. The fourscales can be used as effective measurement tools for empirical research.(2) By investigating the characteristics and differences of gender and grade in Students’perfectionism, achievement goal orientation, self-handicapping, the study found in the followingconclusions. The differences of Students’ grade in perfectionism were significant. The differencesof Students’ grade and gender in self-handicapping were not significant. The differences ofStudents’ grade and gender in mastery-approach goals were not significant. There were significantgender and grade differences in performance-avoidance goals.(3) The study investigated relationship of students’ perfectionism and academic performanceand found that there was a significant negative correlation between Students’ perfectionism andacademic performance. Students’ concern over mistakes and academic performance, parentalexpectations and academic performance were significantly negatively correlated. Students’personal standard and academic performance was significantly positively correlated. There was nocorrelation between Students’ organization, doubt about actions and academic performance.(4) By regression analysis, the self-handicapping mediating effect model was inspected. Itwas found that Students’ self-handicapping fully mediated the relationship between perfectionism,concern over mistakes, organization, doubt about actions and academic performance.Self-handicapping partially mediated the relationship between parental expectations, personal standards and academic performance.(5) By regression analysis, the achievement goal orientation mediating effect model wasinspected. It was found that Students’ mastery-approach goal didn’t mediate the relationshipbetween perfectionism and its dimensions and academic performance. Mastery-avoidance goalfully mediated the relationship between personal standard and academic performance.Performance-approach goal partially mediated the relationship between personal standards andacademic performance, and fully mediated the relationship between organization and academicperformance. Performance-avoidance goal fully mediated the relationship between perfectionism,concern over mistakes, doubt about actions and academic performance, and partially mediated therelationship between parental expectations, personal standards and academic performance.(6) By regression analysis, the moderating effects of stress in the self-handicappingmediating effect modal were inspected. It was found that stress had positive moderating effect onthe relationship between perfectionism and self-handicapping. Stress had negative moderatingeffect on the relationship between organization and academic performance. Stress had positivemoderating effect on the relationship between concern over mistakes and self-handicapping.Stress had positive moderating effect on the relationship between doubt about actions andself-handicapping.