Challenge and Hindrance Stress Relationships With Exhaustion, Motivation to Learn, and Learning Performance

• Published in: Journal of applied psychology Vol. 89; no. 5; pp. 883 - 891
• Main Authors: LePine, Jeffrey A, LePine, Marcie A, Jackson, Christine L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Psychological Association 01-10-2004
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Adult; Behavioral sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Case studies; Cognitive Ability; Correlation; Educational Environment; Educational psychology; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Fatigue; Fatigue (Biology); Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human; Humans; Item Analysis; Learning; Learning Environment; Learning Motivation; Male; Management Development; Measures (Individuals); Mental Fatigue; Mental stress; Models, Psychological; Motivation; Organizational learning; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Pupil and student. Academic achievement and failure; Southeastern United States; Statistics, Nonparametric; Stress; Stress Variables; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Student Attitudes; Studies; Theory Practice Relationship; Undergraduate Students; Work environment; Southeastern United States; Learning; Human; Acquisition process; Motivation; Cognitive ability; Cognition; Emotion emotionality; Personality; Student; Performance; Stress
• ISSN: 0021-9010; 1939-1854
• DOI: 10.1037/0021-9010.89.5.883

In a study of 696 learners, the authors found that stress associated with challenges in the learning environment had a positive relationship with learning performance and that stress associated with hindrances in the learning environment had a negative relationship with learning performance. They also found evidence suggesting that these stress-learning performance relationships were partially mediated by exhaustion and motivation to learn. Both forms of stress were positively related to exhaustion, and exhaustion was negatively related to learning performance. Hindrance stress was negatively related to motivation to learn, challenge stress was positively related to motivation to learn, and motivation to learn was positively related to learning performance. Implications with respect to theory and practice are discussed.