Abstract
This study investigated the relationships among positive learning experiences (PLEs), frustrating learning experiences (FLEs), speed of time, the Zimbardo time perspective, role obligation, social oriented achievement motivation (SOAM), individual oriented achievement motivation (IOAM), savoring, instrumental rumination, brooding rumination, bad mood after poor performance, academic frustration tolerance (AFT), and scores. This study analyzed the influence of PLEs and FLEs on AFT, explored the relationship between AFT and scores, examined numerous potential mediating riables suggested in the literature, and determined how experiences influence AFT, when rumination or savoring moderate the relationship. A questionnaire survey was conducted. A total of 310 high- school sophomores (153 boys and 156 girls) with an average age of 16.37 years were sampled from 5 senior high schools in Hsinchu County and Taipei City, Taiwan. First, I examined the PLEs and FLEs of 110 senior high school students and then incorporated the information into a PLE scale and an FLE scale. In addition, I amended the AFT scale, by incorporating the concept of face, and omitting negative mood as a variable. The other instruments used in the study were the speed of time scale, Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory, role obligation scale, Social-Oriented Achievement Motivation Scale, Individual-Oriented Achievement Motivation Scale, savoring scale, instrumental rumination scale, brooding rumination scale, and a self-reported item on the students' scores during the semester. One-way ANOVA, Pearson product-moment correlation, and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The participants were divided into 3 groups according to the percentile rank ratio of a high school admittance fractional line: the A-level, B-level, and C-level. In the multiple regression analysis, I predicted that patterns of A-, B-, and C-level stusents vary; thus, data on 3 groups were analyzed separately and then compared. The results of this study are summarized as follows. (a) Both PLEs and FLEs significantly predicted the AFT of A-Level students; only FLEs predicted the AFT of B-level students; and only PLEs predicted the AFT of C-level students. (b) Instrumental rumination thoughts, a future-positive time perspective, and a future-negative time perspective positively predicted the AFT of all participants. (c) Role obligation predicted the AFT of only A-Level students, IOAM positively influenced the AFT of A- and B-level students, and savoring predicted the AFT of B- and C-level students. (d) The variables predicting the scores of the A-, B-, and C-level students were AFT; role obligation; and speed of time and negative mood after poor performance, respectively. (e) SOAM exerted nearly no influence on AFT and scores. (f) Three complete mediators of the relationship between PLEs and AFT were identified in the A-level students: instrumental rumination, IOAM, and role obligation. (g) The relationship between academic resilience / challenge difficulties and scores was completely mediated by constructive action in AFT. By contrast, speed of time completely mediated the relationship between AFT and scores. The implications of the findings, limitations, and future research directions are discussed at the end of this paper.