Fear appeals prior to a high-stakes examination can have a positive or negative impact on engagement depending on how the message is appraised

• Classroom fear appeals can be appraised by students as challenging or threatening.
• Challenge appraisal leads to greater student engagement.
• Threat appraisal leads to lower student engagement.
• The impact of fear appeals is mediated by appraisal.

Previous studies have shown that teachers may use messages that focus on the importance of avoiding failure (fear appeals) prior to high-stakes examinations as a motivational tactic. The aim of this study was to examine whether fear appeals, and their appraisal as challenging or threatening, impacted on student engagement. Data were collected from 1373 students, clustered in 46 classes, and 81 teachers responsible for instruction in those classes, prior to a high-stakes mathematics secondary school exit examination. Data were analyzed in a multilevel structural equation model. The appraisal of fear appeals as challenging leads to greater student engagement and as threatening to lower student engagement. The impact of fear appeals on engagement was mediated by challenge and threat appraisals. The effectiveness of fear appeals as a motivational strategy depends on how they are interpreted by students.