Showing papers on "Goal orientation published in 1999"

Organizational Social Capital and Employment Practices

Abstract: We introduce the construct of organizational social capital and develop a model of its components and consequences Organizational social capital is defined as a resource reflecting the character of social relations within the organization It is realized through members' levels of collective goal orientation and shared trust, which create value by facilitating successful collective action We discuss employment practices as primary mechanisms by which social capital is fostered or discouraged within organizations

The Influence of Goal Orientation and Self-Regulation Tactics on Sales Performance: A Longitudinal Field Test

Abstract: The authors investigated the influence of goal orientation on sales performance in a longitudinal field study with salespeople. As hypothesized, a learning goal orientation had a positive relationship with sales performance. This relationship was fully mediated by 3 self-regulation tactics: goal setting, effort, and planning. In contrast, a performance goal orientation was unrelated to sales performance. These results suggest that a focus on skill development, even for a veteran workforce, is likely to be associated with higher performance. Management should seek evidence of a learning goal orientation when selecting new employees, while avoiding an excessive focus on performance goal orientation without a comparable skill-development focus.

BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT Social Predictors of Changes in Students' Achievement Goal Orientations

Abstract: Declines in students’ achievement motivation across the transition to middle school may be explained by characteristics of both the academic and social environment of the new school. This study proposes that students’ sense of belonging in middle school and their endorsement of social responsibility, relationship, and status goals in that setting should explain, in part, changes in their achievement goal orientations between 5th and 6th grades. Longitudinal survey data from 660 students indicated that, on average, endorsement of personal task goals declined, whereas endorsement of ability goals increased across the transition. Increases in task goal orientation were associated with perceiving both a task and an ability goal structure in 6th grade classes, along with sense of school belonging, and endorsing responsibility goals. Increases in ability goal orientation were associated positively with perceiving an ability goal structure in classes, with relationship and status goals, and negatively with school belonging. ≈ 1999 Academic Press A number of studies document declines in students’ achievement motivation as they move from elementary to middle level schools. These declines have been linked to changes in the classroom environment (e.g., Anderman & Midgley, 1997; Eccles & Midgley, 1989; Midgley, Feldlaufer, & Eccles, 1989a,b). Typically, the focus of such research has been on characteristics of the academic environment of schooling; however, students’ social perceptions and goals also can be expected to influence their motivation

Goal commitment and the goal-setting process: Conceptual clarification and empirical synthesis.

Abstract: Goals are central to current treatments of work motivation, and goal commitment is a critical construct in understanding the relationship between goals and task performance. Despite this importance, there is confusion about the role of goal commitment and only recently has this key construct received the empirical attention it warrants. This meta-analysis, based on 83 independent samples, updates the goal commitment literature by summarizing the accumulated evidence on the antecedents and consequences of goal commitment. Using this aggregate empirical evidence, the role of goal commitment in the goal-setting process is clarified and key areas for future research are identified.

The role of the future in student motivation

Abstract: Students' multiple goals and motivations for engaging in school learning are discussed. Our discussion is organized around two divisions of student motivation: intrinsic-extrinsic motivation and future-present orientation. In the case of future-present orientation, an extensive review of both the history of this concept and several studies that provide insight into the relation of Future Time Perspective (FTP) to human motivation is provided. A brief review of literature on intrinsic motivation and goal theory is also provided. We consider the possibility that intrinsic motivation and FTP can be integrated in a meaningful way. We believe that providing a theoretical base for understanding this interaction will contribute toward developing a multidimensional picture of student motivation.

Learning Orientation, Market Orientation, and Innovation: Integrating and Extending Models of Organizational Performance

Abstract: Recent studies have demonstrated effects of learning orientation or market orientation on innovation-driven organizational performance. While these studies have enhanced our understanding of innovation processes in the firm, they have been unable to determine the relative contribution of learning orientation and market orientation to innovation. The integration of these two fundamental strategic orientations in this research enables such an assessment. The model in this research also measures the degree to which market orientation and learning orientation influence organizational performance, independent of their effect on product innovation. The most notable finding is the potential preeminence of learning orientation over market orientation. The implications are of critical importance to marketers because they provide insights into the type of organizational culture that is associated with high levels of performance.

Goal orientation and goal content as predictors of performance in a training program

Abstract: The antecedents and consequences of content goals for participants in a complex skill-training program were examined in a longitudinal study. Using LISREL 8 to test a mediated model, it was found dispositional goal orientation was related to the content of goals that individuals adopted for the training program. Not all content goals were related to training performance; only content goals with a skill improvement focus had a positive relationship with performance. Results provide a richer understanding of the antecedents of content goals and their relationship to performance and have implications for managers and for the administration of training programs.

Cultural Values in Conflict Management Goal Orientation, Goal Attainment, and Tactical Decision

Abstract: Americans (individualists) and Japanese (collectivists) were asked to rate their conflict experiences in terms of goal orientation, goal attainment, tactics, and outcome satisfaction. Individualists preferred assertive tactics, whereas collectivists preferred avoidance tactics. The results regarding goal orientation showed that individualists were strongly oriented toward achieving justice, but collectivists were more motivated by a concern for relationships with others. The finding that attainment of a justice goal did not strongly satisfy the Americans suggests that justice is an instrumental value and not a terminal value in conflict situations.

Culturally Responsive Technology Use: Developing an On-line Community of Learners.

Abstract: In tertiary contexts, Web-based instruction often appears to be tailored to the needs of a particular cultural group, recognising the specific learning needs, preferences and styles of a single, perhaps homogeneous, group of learners. However, in designing instruction, there is typically a tension between the need to ensure flexibility and access to learners of “multiple cultures”, while at the same time taking into account the need for localisation and a requirement to accommodate a particular set of learners' cognitive styles and preferences (Collis and Remmers, 1997; Damarin, 1998). Considering both the micro- and macro-cultural levels of design is therefore essential if culturally appropriate design is to be achieved in Web-based instruction. One of the limitations that has been recognised in striving towards culturally appropriate design is that current instructional design models do not fully contextualise the learning experience, and are themselves the product of a particular culture (Henderson, 1996). A proposed solution is the adoption of a multiple cultures model of design, which is not culturally exclusive. This paper traces the development of an on-line unit for Indigenous Australian learners, and accounts for the cultural issues that impacted on the design of learning tasks and the associated avenues for communication provided to learners. In this context, culturally responsive design was ensured by the adoption of an epistemology and pedagogy based on Lave's (1991) community of practice model. Adapting the model to on-line delivery required incorporation of culture specific values, styles of learning and cognitive preferences, and tasks that were designed to go beyond surface level comprehension to achieve deep learning. The micro cultural level of the virtual community is considered in relation to participatory structures, task design, goal orientation and development of communicative processes that were intended to support the learning needs of a much wider group of Indigenous Australian students.

Organizational Culture: The Focus Questionnaire

Abstract: This article describes two studies. The first study concerns the development of an internationally useful questionnaire for measuring organizational culture on the basis of Quinn's (l988) competing values model. The competing values model describes four cultural orientations. These are the support, innovation, rules, and goal orientation. The questionnaire is called FOCUS, and was developed by an international research group from 12 countries. The questionnaire consists of two parts: descriptive part (measuring organizational practices) and an evaluative part (measuring characteristics of the organization). The first study shows that seven of the eight scales meet psychometric criteria. The second study shows preliminary results regarding the influence of country and sector on organizational culture. Organizational culture is again divided into practices and values (characteristics). Sector and organization are expected to explain differences in organization are expected to explain differences in organiza...

Goal imagery: Bridging the gap between implicit motives and explicit goals.

Abstract: Two studies examined the role of goal imagery (i.e., the perception-like mental representation of the pursuit and attainment of a goal) in establishing congruence between individuals' implicit motives and their incli- nation to pursue explicit goals assigned to them. Study 1 found that after a goal-imagery exercise, implicit needs for power and affiliation predicted par- ticipants' affective arousal and their commitment to a social-interaction goal furnished with power- and affiliation-related incentives. In Study 2, implicit power motivation predicted the level of performance participants achieved in pursuit of a competitive performance goal after a goal-imagery exercise. Without goal imagery, however, participants' motivation to pursue an explicit goal was independent of their implicit motive dispositions in both studies.

Classroom goal orientation, school belonging and social goals as predictors of students' positive and negative affect following the transition to middle school.

Abstract: Students' affective experiences in school may be related to both academic motivational and social aspects of the classroom context. An emphasis on improving competency (a task goal orientation), a sense of school belonging, and endorsement of social goals (responsibility, status and relationship goals) should be related to positive affect in school, while an emphasis on relative ability (ability goals) should be related to negative affect. Surveys were given to 444 students in the fifth grade in elementary and again in sixth grade in middle school. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that students' perceptions of a task goal orientation in their classes, school belonging, relationship and responsibility goals predicted increased positive affect in sixth grade. An ability goal orientation predicted increased negative affect, while school belonging was inversely related to negative affect. A significant interaction effect indicated that a task goal orientation was inversely related to negative affect but that this relation was moderated by students' level of endorsement of status goals.

Academic Motivation and the Student Athlete.

Abstract: The researchers in this large-scale study of Division I athletes examined the achievement motivation of 361 universit' student athletes. The relationship of motivational orientation to academic performance and identification was investigated using a paper and pencil Like rr-t)pe scale instrument based on self-worth theory. Fear offailure and the relative commitment to athletics was found to play important roles in the academic motivation of both revenue and nonrevenue student athletes. University student athletes present an apparent motivational contradiction. Most are highly motivated to succeed in the athletic domain, having been selected to participate in inter collegiate athletics because of their proven ability and desire to succeed. However, many of the most visible student athletes seem to lack such motivation in the classroom. Although these individuals are expected to maintain their athletic motivation at the university, they are likewise expected to demonstrate a similar motivation to succeed in the classroom. The maintenance of this academic motivation and achievement is made more difficult because of the institutional demands of their sport. Student athletes are required to devote upwards of 25 hours per week when their sport is in season, miss numerous classes for university-sanctioned athletic compe titions, and deal with fatigue and injuries as a result of their athletic participation. These factors detract from the realistic likelihood of academic success, which in turn affects their academic motivation to succeed. (American Institutes for Research [AIR], 1989). Negative stereotypes about athletes' lack of academic ability only add to these motivational difficulties (Dundes, 1996; Edwards, 1984). Athletic success requires an individual to work hard, be self-disciplined, exhibit persever ance and determination, be able to concentrate. stay focused, and so forth. These qualities, if transferred to the academic domain, would seem to be important for academic success. A good deal of variation was found among student athletes in their willingness and success in making this transfer, In general, revenue athletes (football and men's basketball) seem less willing to make this transfer and show an apparent lack of academic motivation (Simons, Van Rheenen, & Covington, 1997). This perceived lack of motivation is often reflected in a general disidentification with school and reduced On the other hand, female and nonrevenue athletes (those who played sports other than football and men's basketball) seem more willing and able than revenue athletes to make this transfer, as demonstrated by their superior academic performance. Studies have consistently shown that female student athletes are …

Patterns of Change and Predictors of Success in Individuals With Learning Disabilities: Results From a Twenty-Year Longitudinal Study

Abstract: The research described in this article is part of a larger longitudinal project tracing the lives of a group of individuals with learning disabilities who attended the Frostig Center 20 years ago; this article focuses on the quantitative results of the follow-up study. Data were gathered through case records, public records, current testing, and in-depth interviews. First, changes in independent variables (e.g., socioeconomic status, IQ, life stressors, academic achievement) and dependent variables (e.g., employment status, educational attainment, living arrangements) across data points are described. Second, comparisons between successful and unsuccessful individuals on independent and dependent variables are discussed. Last, three possible predictors of success are identified: IQ, achievement, and "success attributes" (e.g., self-awareness, perseverance, proactivity, emotional stability, goal setting, and social support systems). The composite score on the six success attributes best predicted success a...

Goal Orientations, Perceptions of Aggression, and Sportspersonship in Elite Male Youth Ice Hockey Players

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between goal orientations, perceptions of athletic aggression, and sportspersonship among elite male youth ice hockey players (M age = 13.08 years). Athletes (N = 171) completed questionnaires to assess their goal orientations, attitudes toward directing aggressive behaviors during competition, and non-aggression-related sportspersonship. In accordance with Vallerand, Deshaies, Cuerrier, Briere, and Pelletier (1996), sportspersonship was conceptualized as a five-dimensional construct. Multiple regression analyses revealed that high ego-oriented athletes were more inclined to approve of aggressive behaviors than those with low ego orientation. Players with higher levels of task orientation (rather than low task orientation) had higher sportspersonship levels on three dimensions. An analysis of goal orientation patterns revealed that regardless of ego orientation, low (compared to high) task orientation was more motivationally detrimental to several ...

Self‐regulation, goal orientation, self‐efficacy, worry, and high‐stakes math achievement for mathematically gifted high school students 1 , 2

Abstract: Our study used a structural equation modeling framework to investigate the effects of gender, self‐efficacy, learning goal orientation, self‐regulation, and worry on high‐stakes mathematics achievement in a sample of mathematically gifted, primarily Asian American, high school students. It is one of the few studies that investigated the joint effect of such variables in a high‐stakes environment (i.e., an Advanced Placement calculus exam). Our analyses showed that self‐efficacy is positively related to math achievement, is moderately and positively related to self‐regulation, and is highly and negatively related to worry, and that learning goal orientation (or intrinsic value) is positively related to self‐regulation and worry but is not related to self‐efficacy or high‐stakes mathematics achievement. With respect to gender, young men were less worried and had higher self‐efficacy for math than young women. Finally, self‐regulation was negatively related to worry, but surprisingly, was not related to high...

Communities and Consequences: An Inquiry into Ideology and Practice in Teachers' Professional Work.

Abstract: This article challenges vague and underconceptualized notions of teacher professional community prevalent in both the theoretical and policy-oriented reform literatures. The findings from a close examination of two schools'teacher professional communities sug- gest that current models obscure significant differences in beliefs and practices. Whereas one school's professional community emphasizes teachers' individual auton- omy, rights, and responsibilities to colleagues, the other's is driven by a strong collective mission. A provisional model for examining teacher professional communities, which distinguishes between liberal and collective commitments, is presented.

Relationship Between Achievement Goal Orientations and Use of Learning Strategies

Abstract: Students' achievement goal orientations, learning strategies, and the relationship between them were identified. One hundred and eighty-nine students enrolled in an undergraduate educational psychology course completed a questionnaire on goal orientations and learning strategies. Results indicated that most of the students were close to mastery orientation and somewhat ego-social. Students used deep cognitive strategies often; they used surface and metacognitive strategies occasionally. Mastery orientation predicts use of deep cognitive and metacognitive strategies; when such an orientation is salient, however, less surface cognitive strategy use is expected. Ego-social orientation predicts surface cognitive strategy use but does not relate to deep and metacognitive strategy use. Work-avoidant orientation negatively correlates with deep cognitive and metacognitive strategy use.

Motivation in medical education: how theory can inform our practice.

Abstract: Medical educators seek to understand and facilitate learners' motivations to acquire the skills, knowledge, values, and attitudes that will prepare them for life-times of learning and providing care to their patients and communities. Yet faculty are often challenged by experiences with learners who

The Positive Effects of Mentoring Economically Disadvantaged Students.

Abstract: Asizable proportion of economically disadvantaged, but able, students might not be able to realize their potential during their school years and beyond due, in part, to the complexity of factors associated with their home environment (Clark, 1988; McLoyd, 1990). Volumes of case studies, biographies, and autobiographies of successful individuals from economically disadvantaged backgrounds reveal the often pivotal role supportive mentoring by adults played in their lives. For example, in interviews with 500 economically disadvantaged youth, Lefkowitz (1986) found that a majority of them credited their success to the support of a caring adult in their lives. Countless and moving success stories have been described in various media sources in which youths tell how their lives were turned around through a mentoring relationship with a caring adult (cf. Morgan, 1995; Smalley, 1993). Given mentoring's appeal, it is not surprising that: "the current mentoring movement has spawned not only a flurry of activity, but enormous expectations for its effectiveness in helping disadvantaged youth" (Freedman, 1991, p. 41). The importance of mentors in youths' lives could be explained from several different perspectives. According to social capital theory (Coleman, 1987,1991), a mentoring relationship constitutes a social capital that is critical to human development, because it enables students to develop the necessary attitudes, effort, and conception of self that they need to succeed in school and as adults. Social learning theory (Bandura, 1977) has postulated that humans tend to emulate the behavior they see in others they care for and admire. From this perspective, formal mentoring programs establish the critical oneon-one relationship with a caring adult, which supports the healthy development of youth. Egan (1994) has indicated a counseling perspective in which a mentor is considered to play similar roles to a counselor who helps clients have realistic beliefs, reduce fears and anxieties, and develop working knowledge, life skills, and resources so that they can succeed. Human performance is influenced by one's perceived competence, positive expectancies, perceived control, and will power (Bandura, 1977, 1986; Harter, 1983). Similarly, poor performance derives not only from deficits in skills and abilities, but also from doubts, anxieties, negative expectations, low perceived effectance, low perceived control, pessimism, low selfefficacy, and low self-esteem (Bandura, 1977, 1986; Harter, 1982; Scheier, Weintraub, & Carver, 1986). Accordingly, Bandura (1977, 1986) demonstrated the power of one's beliefs over one's current ability in explaining performance. For example, he explained that the stronger one's perceived self-efficacy, the more effort one will exert and the more one will persist on a given task. Other researchers have examined the role of future expectancies or aspirations on current performance. Singer (1974) and Torrance (1983) both noted that the way students see their future is directly related to their academic performance as well as their ability to live, cope, and grow in a high-change society. The theory of possible selves (Markus & Nurius, 1986) points out the importance of self-knowledge that pertains to how individuals think about their potential and about their future. Markus, Cross, and Wurf (1990) maintain that long-term possible selves give form and direction to self-regulation, planning, and strategy selection. Day, Borkowski, Dietmeyer, Howsepian, and Saenz (1992) note that: Positive visions of one's future (such as 'me as a physician ) give meaning to school subjects related to those visions ('I study science so that I can realize my goal to become a physician ). (p. 185) According to an earlier study of successful persons from seriously economically disadvantaged backgrounds (Glaser & Ross, 1970), one of the main characteristics that differentiates successful persons and unsuccessful persons with both Black and Mexican ethnicity is goal orientation: Successful persons have longrange goals toward which they have moved by planning, preparation, work, or some kind of consistent effort, whereas unsuccessful persons have preferred short-range goals with tangible pleasures or rewards that involve little planning or consistent effort, nor do they talk in terms of goals. …

Predicting Physical Activity Intentions Using Goal Perspectives and Self-Determination Theory Approaches

Abstract: This study used goal orientation theory and self-determination theory (SDT) perspectives to investigate the predictors of physical activity intentions in a sample of Hungarian youth (N = 723). It was hypothesized that the four behavioral regulations stemming from SDT would be proximal predictors of intention, and that goal orientations would predict intentions indirectly through self-determined forms of behavioral regulations, directly for task orientation and indirectly through perceived competence for ego orientation. The hypothesized model was tested on a sample of 301 young people and found to fit the data satisfactorily. The model was then confirmed on a second sample (N = 422). Multi-sample analysis showed the paths to be equal across the two samples so they were combined. For the whole sample, the hypothesized model was confirmed (N = 723) with 18.8% of the variance in intentions explained. The main predictors of intention were self-determined forms of behavioral regulation. The influence of task o...

How Implicit Models of Reading Affect Motivation to Read and Reading Engagement

Abstract: This article examines the relation between readers' implicit models of reading and motivation to read. We use the term implicit model to refer to a belief system that affects one's goals and strategies for reading. We trace the origin and development of our thinking about implicit models. We describe transmission and transaction models, their relation to each other, and how each is related to motivation to read and a variety of reading behaviors, including thematic, critical and personal responses. We also consider how implicit models are related to motivational variables such as self-efficacy, attributions, and goal orientations. We argue that transaction models increase motivation to read by legitimizing the meaning-construction process and by increasing the type and number of deeper processing strategies such as inferencing, generating hypotheses, and the construction of a holistic interpretation of a text. We conclude with a number of suggestions for future research.