Developing a cognitive-based module for problem-focused coping skills: a research and development feasibility study among university students

Abstract

University students encounter various academic and non-academic stressors that require effective coping strategies. This study aimed to develop and examine the feasibility of a cognitive approach-based problem-focused coping skill module grounded in Lazarus and Folkman’s transactional model and Beck’s cognitive model. A Research and Development design using the ADDIE model was employed. The module was evaluated through content-expert validation, design-expert validation, and field practicality testing, followed by a single-group pretest–posttest involving 60 university students. Content-expert validation yielded 96.7% (Aiken’s V = 0.94–0.98), design-expert validation 89.3% (Aiken’s V = 0.71–0.98), and field practicality 95.7%, all categorized as highly feasible. Descriptively, the proportion of students with high problem-focused coping increased from 35% to 80%, while high emotion-focused coping increased from 25% to 67%. No inferential statistical analysis was conducted, and the absence of a control group limits causal interpretation. The findings indicate that the module is feasible and practical and is associated with an increase in problem-focused coping. Its effectiveness in reducing academic stress should be examined in future controlled studies using validated stress measures.