Self-Handicapping Behavior Among College Students: Predictors and Effect on the Performance in Chemistry

Abstract

The self-handicapping behavior of college students was investigated by determining whether self-esteem, self-efficacy, locus of control, chemistry anxiety, and attitude toward chemistry can predict the behavior. Furthermore, the effect of self-handicapping behavior on the performance of the students in chemistry was analyzed in this study. Students from the Philippine Normal University and Technological University of the Philippines participated in the research and accomplished a series of instruments on the factors under study. Correlation and regression analyses were performed on the data. The results revealed that self-esteem, self-efficacy, chemistry evaluation anxiety, and attitude toward the difficulty of chemistry were significant predictors of self-handicapping behavior. In turn, self-handicapping behavior was found to significantly predict the performance of the students in chemistry. The results indicate that as the selfhandicapping behavior of the students increases, the performance in chemistry decreases.