A domain-specific investigation of goal orientation, related cognitive and behavioral variables, and prediction model for academic achievement
Description
According to goal orientation theory, there are three goal orientations that lead to a variety of ways to approach achievement situations. Mastery orientation involves undertaking activities for the sake of learning, ego orientation involves the undertaking of activities as a means to the end of demonstrating a high level of ability, and work avoidant orientation involves getting by with as little effort as possible. Mastery-oriented individuals value learning and strive to gain new skills or knowledge. Mastery orientation sustains effective functioning, and has an important positive influence on achievement. Traditional conceptualizations of goal orientation as either subject-specific or general have resulted in equivocal findings. Therefore, a domain-specific conceptualization of goal orientation could lead to a better correspondence between motivational beliefs and actual behavior. In the present study, 411 ninth-, tenth-, and eleventh-graders completed a self-report questionnaire that measured goal orientations and related variables (task value, perceived self-competence, and task persistence) in relation to Math and English separately. Math and English quarterly grades were used as measures of academic achievement. Age, gender, and social desirability (a response bias in which participants choose responses which will result in a socially favorable self-description) were related to some dependent variables, and were held constant statistically to control for confounding. As predicted, mastery orientation and perceived self-competence were related within a domain and unrelated across domains (Math and English). In addition, a domain-specific prediction model for academic achievement was tested, which proposed the following: task value and perceived self-competence influence mastery orientation; mastery orientation influences task persistence; and task persistence influences academic achievement. The model received support through structural equation modeling. Thus, the goal orientation theory was upheld. Students who are mastery-oriented are likely to be persistent at a task, and are likely to have higher academic achievement. Furthermore, students who perceive a task as valuable and perceive that they have high ability for the task are likely to be mastery oriented. An important qualification was made to the goal orientation theory - mastery orientation and perceived self-competence are domain-specific and should be conceptualized and treated as such in order to maximize academic achievement