KENDİ DÜŞÜNCELERİNİN KURBANI OLMAK: ÇARPITMALAR, RUMİNASYON, ÖZYETERLİK, KENDİNİ ENGELLEME VE BAŞARININ DÖNGÜSEL İLİŞKİSİ

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the relationships among high school students’ academic achievement-related cognitive distortions, rumination, academic self-efficacy, self-handicapping, and academic achievement. The study was conducted within the framework of a circular causality model grounded in cognitive theory to examine the relationships between academic achievement-related cognitive distortions and students’ cognitive, behavioral, and academic processes, as well as the direct, indirect, and circular effects among the variables. The study group consisted of 715 high school students enrolled in different types of schools in Ankara during the 2024–2025 academic year. Data were collected using the Cognitive Distortions Scale Related to Academic Achievement, the Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire, the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Self-Handicapping Scale. Students’ academic achievement was determined based on their self-reported grade point averages. Data were analyzed using the R programming language in the RStudio integrated development environment with the lavaan, dynamic, and semhelpinghands packages. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and direct, indirect, and circular effects were estimated through path analysis using bootstrap standard errors. The findings indicated that academic achievement-related cognitive distortions increased rumination and self-handicapping, whereas rumination decreased academic self-efficacy while increasing self-handicapping. Furthermore, lower academic self-efficacy increased self-handicapping, which negatively affected academic achievement, and academic achievement influenced academic self-efficacy, sustaining the circular structure of the model. These findings support the circular causality model linking academic self-efficacy, self-handicapping, and academic achievement. The findings were discussed in light of cognitive theory and the relevant literature, and recommendations were presented for researchers, policymakers, school counselors, teachers, and students.