Advantages And Disadvantages Of Problem-Focused Coping

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In our educational system, students who do not excel academically are a persistent problem. The schooling aspects are highly important in Singapore as education is frequently seen as the main route to success (Sim, 2003). Most parents expect their child to have great achievement and do extremely well in school. While there are parents who are barely concerned about their child’s grade, a typical Singaporean parent would have placed high expectations on their child. Most children were also brought up with the concept of having to pass their examinations with flying colors in order not to disappoint their parents. This in turn has brought concerns to researchers regarding the role of parenting styles on the child’s academic success. Parenting …show more content…

Stuthers, Perry and Menec (2000) claimed that coping strategies influence students’ course grades. One of its structure, the problem-focused, targets on the causes of stress in practical ways that intend to remove or reduce the causes of stressors. Additionally, Doron et al. (2011) found an association between mastery goals and problem-focused coping. This finding is supported by a study conducted by Elliot, McGregor and Gable (1999) that showed the linkage between mastery approach goals and positive processes in the academic setting. Problem-focused coping strategies involved taking control, information seeking, and evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of different options for dealing with problems. Taking control includes changing the relationship between oneself and the source of stress while information seeking can be the most rationale action. It involves individuals to understand the unwanted situation and placing cognitive strategies to avoid it in the future. Information seeking is also a cognitive response to stress. Problem-focused strategies were found to be associated with better performance in examinations (Edwards & Trimble, 1992; Zeidner, 1995). Problem-focused coping strategies can improve children’s academic performance and at the same time might be able to help children with authoritarian parenting. As reported by Lazarus and Folkman (1984), coping is process of response in the perceived situation in which one tries to change the relationship between the stressor and oneself in order to reduce stress. Coping strategies can be taught and implemented by children to help them deal with stress and school