IF I DONT DO WELL TOMORROW, THERES A REASON - PREDICTORS OF ADOLESCENTS USE OF ACADEMIC SELF-HANDICAPPING STRATEGIES

It has been suggested that some students procrastinate, fool around, r educe effort, and use other self-handicapping strategies so that if su bsequent performance is low, these circum stances will be seen as the cause. Surveys were given to 112 8th graders. The handicapping items f ormed a single factor with good internal consistency. Handicapping was positively associated with self-deprecation, negative attitudes towar d education, ego-oriented goals, and low grades. There was a significa nt interaction between race and both ego-oriented goals and negative a ttitudes. The relation between ego-oriented goals and handicapping was stronger for African Americans than for European Americans, whereas t he relation between negative attitudes and handicapping was stronger f or European Americans than for African Americans. Path analysis reveal ed that handicapping mediated the relationship between negative attitu des about education and grade point average.