Academic Contingency of Self-worth and Intrinsic Motivation in Academic Failure: Undermining and Enhancing Processes for Intrinsic Motivation and the Mediating Role of State Self-esteem and Emotions.

Basing a sense of self-worth on academic achievement could be detrimental for intrinsic motivation, especially when students face academic failure. The present study examined how the academic contingency of self-worth affected intrinsic motivation related to academic failure. The study focused on the role of state self-esteem and emotions that are known to be influenced by the academic contingency of self-worth in a survey of 125 junior high school students. The results confirmed both undermining and enhancing processes where the contingency of self-worth affected intrinsic motivation. For undermining processes, the academic contingency of self-worth lowered intrinsic motivation, mediated by state self-esteem and incompetence. For enhancing processes, the contingency of self-worth buffered the loss of intrinsic motivation, mediated by regret. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]