From optimism and pessimism to coping: The mediating role of academic motivation.

The main goal of this study was to examine an integrative model in which academic motivation was hypothesized to mediate the relationships between dispositional optimism and pessimism and coping utilization during the preparation for midterm exams. A sample of 299 undergraduate students completed measures of optimism and academic motivation two weeks prior to midterm exams and measures of academic motivation and coping two weeks after midterm exams. Results of structural equation modeling indicated that self-determined motivation mediated the relationship between dispositional optimism and task-oriented coping, whereas non-self-determined motivation mediated the relationship between dispositional pessimism and disengagement-oriented coping. Furthermore, task-oriented coping was associated with an increase in self-determined motivation from Time 1 to Time 2, whereas disengagement-oriented coping related to an increase in non-self-determined motivation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)