APPLICATION OF COPING STRATEGIES IN ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

The article analyzes the use of coping strategies in educational performance in higher education. It is indicated that performance combines three key components: the bodies of participants and the performer, joint activity, and the display of results. It is shown that studying at a university during martial law affects the level of stress and anxiety of students, so the latter are forced to look for coping strategies to normalize their psycho-emotional state. Coping strategies play a significant role in a person’s adaptation to stressful life events. Since performance has several adaptive strategies, its use actualizes some coping mechanisms, which were proven during an experiment with students (n=90) of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Social and Humanitarian Management at the National University “Ostroh Academy”. 
In particular, the study used the coping strategies scale (the CISS Model) by N. Endler and J. Parker to measure coping before and after the performance. Before the experiment, students used problem-oriented coping the most. After the experiment, the social distraction scale was the most prominent coping among the students. Such results showed that students actively used coping in higher education during the war. It follows that performance has the potential to strengthen social ties, which help not only to solve the tasks set but also to cope with stress. Pearson correlation analysis after the performance experiment showed that the social distraction scale has high correlation coefficients with avoidance coping (r=0.776), emotional-oriented coping (r=0.520), and the distraction scale (r=0.676). Thus, it is proven that in performance, social support is a key strategy for communication, mutual support, and decision-making, helping to cope with academic and life challenges.