Coping Styles, Learning Environment and Emotional and Behavioural Problems

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to explore associations between students' perceptions of learning environment factors and their reports of emotional and behavioural problems (EBP) and to what degree students' coping styles could influence this relation. The study was conducted as a survey among a representative sample of 2006 Norwegian ninth‐graders. Results showed that students' coping styles accounted for some of the covariance between learning environment factors and EBP. This indicates that associations found between learning environment factors and EBP to some degree could be reflections of students' coping styles, in the sense that coping styles affect students' perceptions of the learning environment or the learning environment itself. However, two‐thirds of the covariance between learning environment factors and EBP was not accounted for by individual students' coping styles. The unique effect of learning environment factors on variances in off‐task orientation, externalising problems and emotional problems was 22%, 13% and 4%, respectively.

Keywords:

• Learning environment
• Coping styles
• Emotional
• Behavioural problems