Validation and Psychometric Properties of the School Failure Coping Scale in a Hungarian Sample
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The study of coping responses to school failure situations is of particular importance from a developmental psychology perspective; however, there are few assessment tools available in Hungary that specifically measure strategies related to these situations. Therefore, it became necessary to conduct a Hungarian-language adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the School Failure Coping Scale (SFCS). The study involved 9th-grade Hungarian students (M = 15.07; SD = 0.56; N = 526). In addition to the SFCS, we measured passive-aggressive behavior, school burnout, and the quality of school life using separate questionnaires. As a result of exploratory factor analysis (n = 250), the original 47-item scale was reduced to a 29-item, six-factor Hungarian version, in which the factors Anger, Accepting responsibility, Comfort and forgetting, Seeking social support, Avoidance, and Disengagement were identified. Confirmatory factor analysis (n = 276) indicated an adequate fit, and the reliability of the total scale was also adequate. According to the convergent validity results, reactions based on anger and avoidance are associated with less favorable school adjustment. In the network analysis, assertiveness proved to be the most important bridge between the constructs. Based on these results, the Hungarian version of the SFCS can be reliably used to examine coping with school failure situations and can serve as a foundation for prevention and intervention programs aimed at providing psychological support to adolescents.
Institutions: University of Szeged, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Language: English
Topic: Student Stress and Coping
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,689
OpenAlex ID: W7223657192