Perfectionism is common among nursing students due to high academic and clinical demands, yet maladaptive perfectionism has been linked to negative psychological outcomes such as fear of failure. Guided by Achievement Goal Theory, this study examined the moderating role of goal orientation in the relationship between perfectionism and fear of failure among Filipino student nurses. A quantitative correlational design was employed involving 200 undergraduate nursing students from Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology. Stratified random sampling ensured representation across academic year levels. Standardized measures were used to assess perfectionism, goal orientation, and fear of failure. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and moderation analysis through Hayes’ PROCESS Macro (Model 1). Results revealed a significant positive relationship between perfectionism and fear of failure, indicating that students with higher perfectionistic tendencies experienced greater anxiety and fear related to mistakes and evaluation. Goal orientation was also significantly associated with fear of failure. Moderation analysis showed that mastery goal orientation weakened the relationship between perfectionism and fear of failure, serving a protective function. In contrast, performance goal orientation strengthened this relationship, intensifying fear-driven responses. These findings highlight the importance of adaptive motivational orientations in reducing the emotional costs of perfectionism. Promoting mastery-oriented goals within nursing education may help foster resilience, emotional well-being, and healthier responses to academic and clinical challenges among student nurses.
| Published in | Innovation Management (Volume 1, Issue 1) |
| DOI | 10.11648/im.20260101.13 |
| Page(s) | 19-23 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Perfectionism, Fear of Failure, Goal Orientation, Student Nurses, Moderation Analysis, Psychology
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APA Style
Barretto, E., Pacarat, J. M., Sagaral, T., Arpon, P. N., Retorta, C. M. (2026). The Moderating Role of Goal Orientation in the Relationship Between Perfectionism and Fear of Failure Among Filipino Student Nurses. Innovation Management, 1(1), 19-23. https://doi.org/10.11648/im.20260101.13
ACS Style
Barretto, E.; Pacarat, J. M.; Sagaral, T.; Arpon, P. N.; Retorta, C. M. The Moderating Role of Goal Orientation in the Relationship Between Perfectionism and Fear of Failure Among Filipino Student Nurses. Innov. Manag. 2026, 1(1), 19-23. doi: 10.11648/im.20260101.13
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Download@article{10.11648/im.20260101.13,
author = {Erika Barretto and Julianne Margarette Pacarat and Trishalyn Sagaral and Patricia Nicole Arpon and Chris Miguelle Retorta},
title = {The Moderating Role of Goal Orientation in the Relationship Between Perfectionism and Fear of Failure Among Filipino Student Nurses},
journal = {Innovation Management},
volume = {1},
number = {1},
pages = {19-23},
doi = {10.11648/im.20260101.13},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/im.20260101.13},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.im.20260101.13},
abstract = {Perfectionism is common among nursing students due to high academic and clinical demands, yet maladaptive perfectionism has been linked to negative psychological outcomes such as fear of failure. Guided by Achievement Goal Theory, this study examined the moderating role of goal orientation in the relationship between perfectionism and fear of failure among Filipino student nurses. A quantitative correlational design was employed involving 200 undergraduate nursing students from Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology. Stratified random sampling ensured representation across academic year levels. Standardized measures were used to assess perfectionism, goal orientation, and fear of failure. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and moderation analysis through Hayes’ PROCESS Macro (Model 1). Results revealed a significant positive relationship between perfectionism and fear of failure, indicating that students with higher perfectionistic tendencies experienced greater anxiety and fear related to mistakes and evaluation. Goal orientation was also significantly associated with fear of failure. Moderation analysis showed that mastery goal orientation weakened the relationship between perfectionism and fear of failure, serving a protective function. In contrast, performance goal orientation strengthened this relationship, intensifying fear-driven responses. These findings highlight the importance of adaptive motivational orientations in reducing the emotional costs of perfectionism. Promoting mastery-oriented goals within nursing education may help foster resilience, emotional well-being, and healthier responses to academic and clinical challenges among student nurses.},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - The Moderating Role of Goal Orientation in the Relationship Between Perfectionism and Fear of Failure Among Filipino Student Nurses AU - Erika Barretto AU - Julianne Margarette Pacarat AU - Trishalyn Sagaral AU - Patricia Nicole Arpon AU - Chris Miguelle Retorta Y1 - 2026/01/30 PY - 2026 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/im.20260101.13 DO - 10.11648/im.20260101.13 T2 - Innovation Management JF - Innovation Management JO - Innovation Management SP - 19 EP - 23 PB - Science Publishing Group UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/im.20260101.13 AB - Perfectionism is common among nursing students due to high academic and clinical demands, yet maladaptive perfectionism has been linked to negative psychological outcomes such as fear of failure. Guided by Achievement Goal Theory, this study examined the moderating role of goal orientation in the relationship between perfectionism and fear of failure among Filipino student nurses. A quantitative correlational design was employed involving 200 undergraduate nursing students from Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology. Stratified random sampling ensured representation across academic year levels. Standardized measures were used to assess perfectionism, goal orientation, and fear of failure. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and moderation analysis through Hayes’ PROCESS Macro (Model 1). Results revealed a significant positive relationship between perfectionism and fear of failure, indicating that students with higher perfectionistic tendencies experienced greater anxiety and fear related to mistakes and evaluation. Goal orientation was also significantly associated with fear of failure. Moderation analysis showed that mastery goal orientation weakened the relationship between perfectionism and fear of failure, serving a protective function. In contrast, performance goal orientation strengthened this relationship, intensifying fear-driven responses. These findings highlight the importance of adaptive motivational orientations in reducing the emotional costs of perfectionism. Promoting mastery-oriented goals within nursing education may help foster resilience, emotional well-being, and healthier responses to academic and clinical challenges among student nurses. VL - 1 IS - 1 ER -
Department of Psychology, Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology, Iligan City, Philippines
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