The Dilemma of Performance-Approach Goals: The Use of Multiple Goal Contexts to Promote Students' Motivation and Learning.

TLDR

The study addresses the debate on multiple achievement goals within achievement goal theory. The authors investigate how different classroom goal conditions and students’ personal goal orientations influence motivation, well‑being, help seeking, cognitive engagement, and achievement in a 5‑week math unit with 237 upper‑elementary students. Using a quasi‑experimental design, 237 students were assigned to mastery, performance‑approach, or combined mastery/performance‑approach classroom conditions and their motivation, emotional well‑being, help seeking, cognitive engagement, and achievement were measured over five weeks of small‑group math instruction. Results show that the combined goal condition most strongly improved help seeking and achievement, personal mastery goals benefited 11 of 12 outcomes including achievement, personal performance‑approach goals harmed achievement and test anxiety, and these effects were independent of students’ initial personal goal orientations.

Abstract

The study examines the effects of a quasi-experimental classroom goal condition (mastery, performanceapproach, combined mastery/performance-approach) and entering personal goal orientations on motivation, emotional well-being, help seeking, cognitive engagement, and achievement for 237 upper elementary students during a 5-week math unit emphasizing small groups. The classroom goal condition had a significant effect on help seeking and achievement, with the combined condition showing the most beneficial pattern. Personal mastery goals were beneficial for 11 of 12 outcomes including achievement; personal performance-approach goals were detrimental for achievement and test anxiety and unrelated to the remaining outcomes. The effect of the classroom goal condition did not vary on the basis of entering personal goal orientations. Implications for the current achievement goal theory debate regarding multiple goals are discussed.