Showing papers on "Goal orientation published in 2011"

Achievement Goal Theory at the Crossroads: Old Controversies, Current Challenges, and New Directions

Abstract: Achievement goal theory has been one of the most prominent theories of motivation in educational research for more than 25 years. It has undergone considerable revision during that span, most notably with the distinction between approach and avoidance goals, debate concerning the critical features of performance goals, and the emergence of a multiple goal perspective that emphasizes the positive potential of performance-approach goals alongside mastery goals. This multiple goal perspective has met several criticisms from theorists taking the traditional perspective that emphasizes mastery goals over performance goals. We review these criticisms and the ongoing debate in light of the relevant research. We then spotlight two areas for future research, with the aim of advancing theory development and bridging these perspectives.

Interactions of Metacognition with Motivation and Affect in Self-Regulated Learning: The MASRL Model.

Abstract: Metacognition, motivation, and affect are components of self-regulated learning (SRL) that interact. The “metacognitive and affective model of self-regulated learning” (the MASRL model) distinguishes two levels of functioning in SRL, namely, the Person level and the Task × Person level. At the Person level interactions between trait-like characteristics such as cognitive ability, metacognitive knowledge and skills, self-concept, perceptions of control, attitudes, emotions, and motivation in the form of expectancy-value beliefs and achievement goal orientations are hypothesized. These person characteristics guide top-down self-regulation. At the Task × Person level, that is, the level at which SRL events take place, metacognitive experiences, such as feeling of difficulty, and online affective states play a major role in task motivation and bottom-up self-regulation. Reciprocal relations between the two levels of functioning in SRL are also posited. The implications of the MASRL model for research and theo...

A 3 × 2 achievement goal model

Abstract: In the present research, a 3 × 2 model of achievement goals is proposed and tested The model is rooted in the definition and valence components of competence, and encompasses 6 goal constructs: task-approach, task-avoidance, self-approach, self-avoidance, other-approach, and other-avoidance The results from 2 studies provided strong support for the proposed model, most notably the need to separate task-based and self-based goals Studies 1 and 2 yielded data establishing the 3 × 2 structure of achievement goals, and Study 2 documented the antecedents and consequences of each of the goals in the 3 × 2 model Terminological, conceptual, and applied issues pertaining to the 3 × 2 model are discussed

5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions

Abstract: In addition to being introduced to these 5 practices, readers will have the opportunity to learn how to set the groundwork through setting goals and selecting tasks. These starting points are discussed in depth to emphasize the importance of pre-planning before implementing any type of mathematical task. Throughout the book there are observational case studies that share the lesson implementation strategies that occur in the various classrooms. Teachers and coaches can read and consider the different techniques used in order to compare and contrast the successes and struggles of other educational professionals while underscoring the importance of implementing the 5 practices. In addition, there are “Try This!” sections at the end of the later chapters to promote practicing the use of the strategies discussed. Finally, in addition to the 5 practices, this resource incorporates two other best practices to deepen meaningful discourse. The first, called “Moves,” deepens the last three practices, while the second, called the Thinking Through a Lesson Protocol (TTLP), scaffolds the planning process through a list of questions.

How Does Bureaucracy Impact Individual Creativity? A Cross-Level Investigation of Team Contextual Influences on Goal Orientation–Creativity Relationships

Abstract: Offering important counterpoint to work identifying team influences stimulating creative expression of individual differences in goal orientation, we develop cross-level theory establishing that team bureaucratic practices (centralization and formalization) constrain creative expression. Speaking to the tension between bureaucracy and creativity, findings indicate that this influence is not only negative and that effects of centralization and formalization differ. Surveying 330 employees in 95 teams at the Taiwan Customs Bureau, we found that learning and "performance avoid" goal orientations had, respectively, stronger positive and weaker negative relationships with creativity under low centralization. A "performance- prove" orientation was positively related to creativity under low formalization.

Self-regulation strategies improve self-discipline in adolescents: Benefits of mental contrasting and implementation intentions

Abstract: Adolescents struggle with setting and striving for goals that require sustained self‐discipline. Research on adults indicates that goal commitment is enhanced by mental contrasting (MC), a strategy involving the cognitive elaboration of a desired future with relevant obstacles of present reality. Implementation intentions (II), which identify the action one will take when a goal‐relevant opportunity arises, represent a strategy shown to increase goal attainment when commitment is high. This study tests the effect of mental contrasting combined with implementation intentions (MCII) on successful goal implementation in adolescents. Sixty‐six 2nd‐year high school students preparing to take a high‐stakes exam in the fall of their third year were randomly assigned to complete either a 30‐minute written mental contrasting with implementation intentions intervention or a placebo control writing exercise. Students in the intervention condition completed more than 60% more practice questions than did students in t...

Developing Self-Regulation Skills: The Important Role of Homework:

Abstract: The article evaluates the relationship between homework and self-regulation from the elementary grades to college. It reveals that quality measures of homework such as managing distractions, self-e...

Positive Classroom Motivational Environments : Convergence between Mastery Goal Structure and Classroom Social Climate.

Abstract: In a series of 4 studies we investigated the relations of mastery goal structure and 4 dimensions of the classroom social climate (teacher academic support, teacher emotional support, classroom mutual respect, task-related interaction). We conducted multidimensional scaling with separate adolescent samples that differed considerably (i.e., by racial and demographic characteristics, grade level, and educational contexts). Studies 1, 2, and 3 (Ns = 537, 537, and 736, respectively) showed that mastery goal structure items occupied a central space among the climate items and overlapped partially with the areas formed by the respect and academic and emotional support items. In Study 4 (N = 789) we investigated the structural relations of mastery goal structure and the 4 social climate scales with another adolescent sample. Using confirmatory factor analysis we compared these 2 models: (a) all 5 measures at the same level and (b) mastery goal structure as a 2nd-order factor, with the 4 social climate measures as its indicators. The fit for both models was good, although the 1st-order model fit was better. Nevertheless, in the 2nd-order model mastery goal structure accounted for between 92% and 67% of the variance in the climate measures.

Systems of Goals, Attitudes, and Self-related Beliefs in Second-Language- Learning Motivation

Abstract: In the present study, we surveyed the English language-learning motivations of 518 secondary school students, university students, and young adult learners in the capital of Chile, Santiago. We applied multi-group structural-equation modeling to analyze how language-learning goals, attitudes, self-related beliefs, and parental encouragement interact in shaping motivated behavior and to investigate age- and group-related differences in the internal structure of language-learning motivation. We compared our findings with previous studies using similar instruments in different settings, and based on our findings, we proposed a new interactive model of language-learning motivation, which consists of goal systems, attitudes, self-efficacy beliefs, and future self-guides.

The effect of goal setting on group performance: a meta-analysis

Abstract: Updating and extending the work of O'Leary-Kelly, Martocchio, and Frink (1994), with this meta-analysis on goal setting and group performance we show that specific difficult goals yield considerably higher group performance compared with nonspecific goals (d = 0.80 ± 0.35, k = 23 effect sizes). Moderately difficult and easy goals were also associated with performance benefits relative to nonspecific goals, but these effects were smaller. The overall effect size for all group goals was d = 0.56 ± 0.19 (k = 49). Unexpectedly, task interdependence, task complexity, and participation did not moderate the effect of group goals. Our inventory of multilevel goals in interdependent groups indicated that the effect of individual goals in groups on group performance was contingent upon the focus of the goal: "Egocentric" individual goals, aimed at maximizing individual performance, yielded a particularly negative group-performance effect (d = -1.75 ± 0.60, k = 6), whereas "groupcentric" goals, aimed at maximizing the individual contribution to the group's performance, showed a positive effect (d = 1.20 ± 1.03, k = 4). These findings demonstrate that group goals have a robust effect on group performance. Individual goals can also promote group performance but should be used with caution in interdependent groups. Future research might explore the role of multilevel goals for group performance in more detail. The striking lack of recent field studies in organizational settings that emerged from our brief review of trends in group goal-setting research should be taken into account when designing future studies in this domain.

Test anxiety, perfectionism, goal orientation, and academic performance.

Abstract: Dimensions of perfectionism and goal orientation have been reported to have differential relationships with test anxiety. However, the degree of inter-relationship between different dimensions of perfectionism, the 2 × 2 model of goal orientations proposed by Elliot and McGregor, cognitive test anxiety, and academic performance indicators is not known. Based on data from 134 university students, we conducted correlation and regression analyses to test associations between adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism, four types of goal orientations, cognitive test anxiety, and two indicators of academic performance: proximal cognitive performance on a word list recall test and distal academic performance in terms of grade point average. Cognitive test anxiety was inversely associated with both performance indicators, and positively associated with maladaptive perfectionism and avoidance goal orientations. Adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism accounted for significant variance in cognitive test anxiety after controlling for approach and avoidance goal orientations. Overall, nearly 50% of the variance in cognitive test anxiety could be attributed to gender, goal orientations, and perfectionism. Results suggested that students who are highly test anxious are likely to be women who endorse avoidance goal orientations and are maladaptively perfectionistic.

Adolescents' Declining Motivation to Learn Science: Inevitable or Not?

Abstract: There is a growing awareness that science education should center not just on knowledge acquisition but developing the foundation for lifelong learning. However, for intentional learning of science to occur in school, out of school, and after school, there needs to be a motivation to learn science. Prior research had shown that students' motivation to learn science tends to decrease during adolescence (Anderman and Young (1994) Journal of Research in Science Teaching 31: 811-831; Lee and Anderson (1993) American Educational Research Journal 30: 585-610; Simpson and Oliver (1990) Science Education 74: 1-18). This study compared 5th through 8th grade students' self-reported goal orientations, engagement in science class, continuing motivation for science learning, and perceptions of their schools' and parents' goals emphases, in Israeli traditional and democratic schools. The results show that the aforementioned decline in adolescents' motivation for science learning in school and out of school is not an inevitable developmental trend, since it is apparent only in traditional schools but not in democratic ones. The results suggest that the non-declining motivation of adolescents in democratic schools is not a result of home influence but rather is related to the school culture. 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., J Res Sci Teach 48: 199-216, 2011

Longitudinal tests of an integrative model of leader development: Charting and understanding developmental trajectories☆

Abstract: The developmental trajectories of participants (N = 1315) engaged in team-based action learning projects (k = 205) to promote leader development were estimated using two classes of growth modeling techniques. Evidence was found in support of differences in the initial leadership effectiveness levels across participants as well as differences in the shape or form of their personal trajectories. Based on recent theorizing on leader development (Day, Harrison, & Halpin, 2009), it was predicted that adopting a leader identity would serve as a within-person, time-varying covariate of leadership effectiveness and that goal orientation would serve as a between-person, cross-level moderator of the personal change trajectories. Results suggested full support for the role of leader identity and partial support for goal orientation. The results of growth mixture modeling analyses revealed two distinct latent classes of developmental trajectories that could be distinguished empirically by one type of adult development processes (i.e., selection). Results are discussed in terms of advancing leader development science and practice, especially with regard to the insights gained from charting and understanding leaders' developmental trajectories.

Trait Goal Orientation, Self-Regulation, and Performance: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to meta-analytically examine trait goal orientation constructs and their relationships with the self-regulation variables of self-monitoring, self-evaluations, self-reactions, and self-efficacy as well as task performance across a range of contexts.

Motivation and the Goal Theory of Current Concerns

Abstract: Synopsis.—Behavior and experience are organized around the pursuit and enjoyment of goals. Accordingly, this chapter first discusses basic motivational concepts that address the processes involvedinchoosingandpursuinggoals,andplacesgoalpursuitwithintheframeworkofthetheoryof current concerns. It examines how people choose goals and traces the effects of having a goal and of the way the goal pursuit ends, in goal attainment or relinquishment. It integrates applicable neuroscientific findings that shed light on these processes. Goal choice depends on the value and costs assigned by the chooser to each alternative (incentive) and its perceived attainability, subject to such complicating factors as forecasting biases and time frame. Commitment to a goal pursuit launches a latent, time-binding brain process (a current concern) that sensitizes the individual to respond emotionally and to notice, recall, think about, dream about, and act on cues associated with thegoal pursuit. These processes affect one another and are subject to implicit (nonconscious) as well as explicit influences. Goal pursuits vary according to whether the goal is an approach or avoidance goal, the time frame for action, the anticipation of the details and difficulties of the goal pursuit, and the degree of conflict with other goals. Emotional responses determine incentive values, serve as evaluative feedback during goal pursuits, and accompany consummation of or disengagement from the goal. The process of disengagement normally entails a sequence of emotional changes: invigoration, anger, depression, and recovery. Each of these components of goal choice and pursuit cangoawry,leadingtoavarietyofdifficultiesthatbecomereflectedinanxiety,depression,alienation, interpersonal and occupational problems, substance abuse, suicide, and other forms of psychological disturbance. Motivational structure (an individual’s pattern of goal striving) is an important determinant of well-being, the sense that one’s life is meaningful, and self-regulation. The chapter briefly considers the implications of the findings for counseling interventions for motivational problems that deter clients from choosing and pursuing the goals that can potentially bring them happiness and fulfillment, considerations that are discussed at length in the book’s remaining chapters.

Protective Factors at School: Reciprocal Effects Among Adolescents’ Perceptions of the School Environment, Engagement in Learning, and Hope

Abstract: Although some research suggests that schools can be a source of protective factors for students, the processes by which school environments impact students’ behavior, performance and adjustment over time are not clear. Guided by both self-determination theory and hope theory, this article evaluated reciprocal effects among adolescent perceptions of the school environment, engagement in learning, hope, and academic achievement. Using a sample of 423 students (M age 15.72 years; 46.7% female; 77.6% white; 30.9% eligible for FRPL) from five small secondary schools in the upper Midwest, students’ perceptions of the school environment were linked to engagement in learning, which, in turn, was linked to change in academic achievement and hope over the span of 1 year. Evidence was found for reciprocal links between earlier levels of engagement and hope and later perceptions of the environment. These results suggest that the school environment represents a potential leverage point for educational reform, and interventions that target students’ perceptions of autonomy, teacher/peer support, and goal orientation may be able to promote engagement, hope, and academic achievement. In addition, such changes may create a positive feedback loop in which change in academic performance and adjustment accelerate over time.

Work Engagement: Antecedents, the Mediating Role of Learning Goal Orientation and Job Performance.

Abstract: Purpose – The present paper aims to explore the effects of state (trust in supervisor) and trait (trust propensity) trust on employees' work engagement. Furthermore, it seeks to investigate the mediating role of learning goal orientation in the relationship between work engagement and two forms of performance: in‐role job performance and innovative work behaviour. Design/methodology/approach – Data for this cross sectional survey study were collected from 168 research scientists drawn from six Irish science research centres. Structural equation modelling was used to test the research hypotheses. Findings – The results suggest that both trust in supervisor and trust propensity were positively and significantly related to work engagement. Additionally, results indicate that learning goal orientation partially mediated the effects of work engagement on in‐role job performance and innovative work behaviour. Research limitations/implications – This research was limited by two main factors: the cross‐sectional research design, and use of self‐reported questionnaire data. Limitations aside, this study provides evidence that a climate of trust can fuel work engagement, which in turn, is likely to promote learning, innovation and performance. Originality/value – This paper extends the developing engagement literature in two ways. First, it empirically establishes an association between two facets of trust and work engagement. Second, it highlights the role of learning goal orientation in explaining the linkage between work engagement and job performance.

Separation of Performance-Approach and Performance-Avoidance Achievement Goals : A Broader Analysis.

Abstract: In the literature on achievement goals, performance-approach goals (striving to do better than others) and performance-avoidance goals (striving to avoid doing worse than others) tend to exhibit a moderate to high correlation, raising questions about whether the 2 goals represent distinct constructs. In the current article, we sought to examine the separability of these 2 goals using a broad factor-analytic approach that attended to issues that have been overlooked or underexamined in prior research. Five studies provided strong evidence for the separation of these 2 goal constructs: Separation was observed not only with exploratory factor analysis across different age groups and countries (Studies 1a and 1b) but also with change analysis (Study 2), ipsative factor analysis (Study 3), within-person analysis (Study 4), and behavioral genetics analysis (Study 5). We conclude by discussing the implications of the present research for the achievement goal literature, as well as the psychological literature in general

The dual nature of perfectionism in sports: relationships with emotion, motivation, and performance

Abstract: Perfectionism is a prevalent characteristic in athletes. Yet some researchers have argued that perfectionism in sports is maladaptive because it undermines athletes’ performance and stifles athletic development. This argument, however, neglects that perfectionism is a multidimensional characteristic and that only some dimensions of perfectionism are clearly maladaptive, whereas others are not. This review argues that perfectionism is comprised of two main dimensions – perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns (Stoeber & Otto, 2006) – that show different and unique patterns of relationships with athletes’ emotions, motivation, and performance. In support of this argument the review will present findings indicating that only perfectionistic concerns show unique positive relationships with competitive anxiety, fear of failure, and avoidance goal orientations. In contrast, perfectionistic strivings show unique positive relationships with self-confidence, hope of success, approach goal orientation...

Can teachers motivate students to learn

Abstract: Research on motivation has mainly concentrated on the role of goal orientation and self‐evaluation in conducting learning activities. In this paper, we examine the relative importance of teachers’ teaching and their efficacy beliefs to explain variation in student motivation. Questionnaires were used to measure the well‐being, academic self‐efficacy, mastery goal orientation, performance avoidance, intrinsic motivation and school investment of students (n = 3462) and the teaching practices and teachers’ sense of self‐efficacy (n = 194) in primary schools. Results of the multi‐level analyses show that connection to the students’ world and cooperative learning methods had a positive effect on students’ motivation, while process‐oriented instruction by the teacher had a negative effect on motivational behaviour and motivational factors of students. Finally, the results lend credence to the argument that teachers’ sense of self‐efficacy has an impact on both teachers’ teaching and students’ motivation to learn.

Challenges in supporting self-regulation in distance education environments

Abstract: This article considers the application of selected components of self-regulated learning (SRL; Zimmerman 2000) to student-content interaction in online learning and distance education (DE). In particular we discuss how, when interacting with electronically enhanced text, students must carefully employ self-regulated learning strategies that include planning, goal setting, self-monitoring processes, and calibration judgments. Because the student is often learning independently in DE courses, and because of the potential for non-linear navigation through online learning materials, we argue that the careful deployment of SRL skills is especially critical for successful outcomes. Consequently we discuss examples of how the demands of student-content interactions put students with self-regulation difficulties at risk of failure. We highlight research on learners who have poor SRL skills, inadequate calibration capabilities, and low executive functions in order to highlight areas of particular difficulty and areas in which support might be most beneficial. We conclude with the recognition that while support strategies can be derived from the research literature, there is a great need for research that addresses questions about student-content interaction in DE course settings specifically, and pertains to the increasingly diverse group of learners who take these courses.

Planning promotes goal striving.

Abstract: d etermining the factors that promote successful goal striving is one of the fundamental questions studied by selfregulation and motivation researchers (Bargh, Gollwitzer, & Oettingen, 2010; Gollwitzer & Moskowitz, 1996; Oettingen & Gollwitzer, 2001). A number of theories, and supporting empirical data, suggest that the type of goal chosen and the commitment to that goal are important determinants in whether an individual carries out the behaviors necessary for goal attainment (e.g., Ajzen, 1985; Bandura, 1997; Carver & Scheier, 1998; Elliot, 2008; Locke & Latham, 2006; Molden & Dweck, 2006; Oettingen, Pak, & Schnetter, 2001). Within these models, choosing or accepting a goal or standard is the central act of will in the pursuit of goals. We agree with this contention but argue in this chapter that further acts of will should facilitate goal attainment, in particular, when goal striving is confronted with implemental problems (e.g., difficulties getting started because of failure to use opportunities to do so; sticking to ongoing goal striving in the face of distractions, temptations, and competing goals). Such acts of will can take the form of making plans that specify when, where, and how an instrumental goaldirected response is to be enacted. More specifically, the person may take control over (i.e., selfregulate) goal striving by making if–then plans (i.e., form implementation intentions) that specify an anticipated critical situation and link it to an instrumental goaldirected response.

Culturalizing Achievement Goal Theory and Research.

Abstract: This article is primarily designed to provide a cultural analysis of the literature on achievement goals. First, an overview of the four dominant approaches to the study of culture—namely, cross-cultural psychology, cultural psychology, indigenous psychology, and psychological anthropology—is offered. Second, we analyze the extant body of research on achievement goals according to the three metatheoretical orientations of absolutism, relativism, and universalism and argue that cultural research on motivation should adopt a universalist approach as it is most consistent with a motivational science perspective. Finally, we conclude with concrete recommendations for how future research on culture and motivation should proceed in light of a universalistic perspective.

Evaluating emotional stability as a predictor of interpreter competence and aptitude for interpreting

Abstract: This paper proposes that variance in interpreter performance is dependent on factors of both general cognitive ability and personality. Whilst there is no doubt of the interplay between individual personality traits and job performance across many occupations, the greatest interest lies in determining which traits play the most important role; and to what extent these variables impact on learning and achievement. The paper reports on a study of 110 accredited signed language interpreters in Australia. Psychological constructs of self-efficacy, goal orientation and negative affectivity were measured, as were interpreter ratings of self-perceived competence as practitioners. The most significant finding revealed the dimension of emotional stability (represented on the negative end of the continuum by traits of anxiety and neuroticism, and measured in this study by the negative affectivity scale) as a predictor of interpreter’s self-perceived competence. Based on these findings, recommendations for admission testing and interpreter education curricula are discussed.