THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HARDINESS AND ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION IN ADOLESCENCE

Abstract

The article examines the relationship between hardiness and achievement motivation in adolescents aged 14–15 (N=53). Spearman's correlation revealed a moderate positive relationship between overall hardiness and achievement motivation (r_s = 0.606; p < 0.001), with the strongest correlation found for control (r_s = 0.572; p < 0.001). Hardiness is considered a personal resource supporting achievement motivation in adolescence.

Keywords: hardiness; achievement motivation; commitment; control; challenge; adolescence; correlation analysis.

Adolescence is a complex and dynamic stage of personality development, characterized by intensive changes in the motivational, emotional-volitional, and value-semantic spheres, where self-regulation, stress resistance, and goal orientation are formed [1, pp. 57–63]. Hardiness is a key personal resource for successful adaptation in adolescence. S. Maddi viewed it as a system of basic beliefs that allow difficulties to be perceived as an opportunity for development, identifying three components: commitment, control, and challenge [2, p. 121]. D.A. Leontiev and E.I. Rasskazova adapted the hardiness methodology and linked this construct to personal potential and the meaning sphere [3, pp. 5–12].

Achievement motivation is an equally significant factor. H. Heckhausen defined it as a stable personal tendency associated with the need for success and the avoidance of failure: «achievement motivation is an attempt to increase or maintain as high as possible a person's ability to act in all those areas where a standard of quality is considered mandatory» [4, p. 278]. N.N. Mozgovaya and colleagues found that senior schoolchildren with pronounced achievement motivation demonstrate a higher level of hardiness than peers with low motivation [5, pp. 141–147]. However, the contribution of individual hardiness components to achievement motivation in adolescence requires further study.

The aim of the study is to identify and describe the relationship between hardiness and achievement motivation in adolescents.

The empirical study was conducted at the State Educational Institution «Secondary School No. 47 of Vitebsk named after E.F. Ivanovsky.» The sample consisted of 53 ninth-grade students (9 «A», 9 «B», 9 «C») aged 14–15: 31 females and 22 males.

The toolkit included the Hardiness Test by S. Maddi as adapted by D.A. Leontiev and E.I. Rasskazova [3, pp. 15–47] and the Achievement Motivation Questionnaire by T. Ehlers [6, pp. 18–22]. Statistical processing used descriptive statistics, the Shapiro–Wilk and Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, and the Mann–Whitney U-test.

Descriptive statistics showed that most adolescents have average and high levels of both variables. A high level of overall hardiness was recorded in 50.9 % of respondents, average in 41.5 %, low in 7.5 %. The most pronounced component was challenge: a high level in 64.2 %. Commitment and control were distributed more evenly: high commitment in 41.5 %, high control in 47.2 %. Low levels of achievement motivation were absent; 60.4 % demonstrated a high level, 39.6 % an average level.

The normality tests revealed statistically significant deviations from the normal law for all variables (p < 0.05), justifying nonparametric methods.

Correlation analysis established pronounced positive interrelationships among all hardiness components (coefficients from 0.824 to 0.938 at p < 0.001), confirming the structural integrity of the construct.

The key result is a moderate positive correlation between overall hardiness and achievement motivation (r_s = 0.606; p < 0.001). Motivation is significantly related to each component: commitment (r_s = 0.549; p < 0.001), control (r_s = 0.572; p < 0.001), and challenge (r_s = 0.511; p < 0.001). The closest relationship is with «control.»

The Mann–Whitney U-test revealed no statistically significant gender differences in hardiness and motivation (p > 0.05), indicating relative homogeneity of the sample.

The data confirm S. Maddi's propositions on hardiness as a resource for maintaining activity under stress and H. Heckhausen's on achievement motivation as a factor of readiness to overcome obstacles. The high level of challenge (64.2 %) reflects adolescent tendencies toward novelty seeking, experimentation, and readiness to act without guarantees of success.

The role of «control» as most closely related to achievement motivation (r_s = 0.572) refines existing theoretical models and has practical significance: an adolescent's sense of being able to influence events and achieve desired results contributes most to stable achievement motivation. Therefore, psycho-correctional programs should prioritize the formation of an internal locus of control and goal-setting skills. The relationship with commitment (r_s = 0.549) indicates that conviction of the value of one's own life and activity also supports achievement striving. The weakest relationship with challenge (r_s = 0.511) may be explained by its already high level in the sample, making its contribution to motivation differentiation less sensitive.

On the basis of the empirical data, a psycho-correctional program «Toward Difficulties: Developing Hardiness in Adolescents» was developed and introduced into the educational process of the State Educational Institution «Secondary School No. 47 of Vitebsk named after E.F. Ivanovsky».

The study confirms a positive relationship between hardiness and achievement motivation in adolescence. The most significant component for maintaining achievement motivation is control. The data expand theoretical understanding of adolescent personal resources and can be used by educational psychologists in programs for developing hardiness, enhancing academic motivation, and preventing maladaptive states. The study is limited by the small sample size and its localization within a single educational institution. Further research should analyze the dynamics of hardiness in learning, the influence of family and social factors, and the relationship of hardiness with academic performance, self-efficacy, and emotional well-being.

References

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