Student impression management and academic performance: A moderated mediation model

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between students' impression management and their academic performance. Through two independent studies data were collected from 311 graduate students (study‐1), and 183 postgraduate research students and their research supervisors (study‐2) from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) situated in Punjab province of Pakistan. Findings of Study 1 revealed that students employ certain tactics and styles of impression management in their interpersonal interactions with teachers and fellows; moreover, it was found that exemplification, and self‐promotion tactics and authentic acting IM style are positively associated with their academic performance (i.e., GPA). Study 2 shows that research students' use of self‐promotion and exemplification IM tactics are positively associated with their supervisor rated performance through perceived competence. In addition, study 2 revealed that supervisor's perceptions of deceitfulness play the boundary condition role in the relationship between student impression management and its positive outcomes (i.e., perceived competence, and supervisor rated performance) in such a way that the relationships are weaker (vs. stronger) when supervisor perception of impression manager's deceitfulness is higher (vs. lower). Important implications for theory and practice, limitations, directions for future research, and policy guidelines are discussed.