Academic Anxieties and Coping Strategies

A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X). This special issue belongs to the section "Educational Psychology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 April 2026 | Viewed by 399

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Education, The University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX 75799, USA
Interests: test anxiety; academic anxieties; cognitive dissonance theory; emotional intelligence; coping; psychometrics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The term academic anxiety refers to a range of pre-clinical anxieties experienced by learners who question their ability to successfully navigate the demands associated with specific academic tasks and educational activities. These maladaptive affective responses have been linked to numerous problematic outcomes, including reduced academic performance, impaired information processing efficiency, and decreased well-being. Recent research exploring practical solutions for these anxieties has emphasized the importance of tailored approaches targeting emotional information processing difficulties. Specifically, empirical and theoretical work supports the utility of interventions that enhance coping potential by altering learners’ perceptions of potential academic stressors, encouraging the adoption of growth- and mastery-orientated academic goals and fostering a robust understanding of how and when to implement adaptive coping and emotion regulation strategies.

This Special Issue will expand the literature on academic anxieties and coping strategies, offering actionable insights to assist educational practitioners and researchers in effectively supporting students who are vulnerable to various forms of academic anxiety. Therefore, we welcome theoretical and empirical contributions that will advance our understanding of the key antecedents and outcomes of coping and emotion regulation strategies among academically anxious students. Additionally, we encourage submissions that present innovative developments and recent advancements in intervention approaches targeting academic anxiety.

Abstract Deadline: 15 August 2025

Notification of Abstract Acceptance: 1 September 2025

Dr. Christopher L. Thomas
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • academic anxiety
  • coping strategies
  • emotion regulation
  • educational interventions
  • anxiety interventions
  • emotional information processing

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

14 pages, 457 KB  
Article
The Longitudinal Mediating Role of Academic Buoyancy Between Academic Self-Efficacy and Academic Burnout Among Junior High School Students: A Cross-Lagged Study
by Licong Ye, Yongchun Xie and Baojuan Ye
Behav. Sci. 2025, 15(11), 1480; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15111480 - 30 Oct 2025
Viewed by 117
Abstract
This study aims to explore the longitudinal relationship between academic self-efficacy, academic buoyancy, and academic burnout among junior high school students and to reveal the potential mediating role of academic buoyancy. Using cluster sampling, a longitudinal study was conducted on 906 students (mean [...] Read more.
This study aims to explore the longitudinal relationship between academic self-efficacy, academic buoyancy, and academic burnout among junior high school students and to reveal the potential mediating role of academic buoyancy. Using cluster sampling, a longitudinal study was conducted on 906 students (mean age = 12.48, 53.3% male) in grades 7 to 9, with three follow-up assessments conducted at four-month intervals. The assessment tools included the Academic Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, the Academic Buoyancy Scale, and the Academic Burnout Questionnaire. The results indicated the following: (1) academic self-efficacy and academic buoyancy exhibit a bidirectional relationship, meaning that academic self-efficacy is associated with increases in academic buoyancy levels four months later, and academic buoyancy also is associated with increases in academic self-efficacy four months later; (2) academic buoyancy is associated with decreases in academic burnout four months later, and academic burnout also is associated with decreases in academic buoyancy four months later; (3) academic self-efficacy is indirectly associated with decreases in academic burnout through the mediating effect of academic buoyancy. Research implications: In educational practice, a focus should be on enhancing students’ academic self-efficacy while effectively reducing academic burnout among junior high school students by fostering the psychological resource of academic buoyancy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Academic Anxieties and Coping Strategies)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop