Does Mastery of Goal Components Mediate the Relationship between Metacognition and Mathematical Modelling Competency?

Abstract

Prior studies suggested close correlations among metacognition, mastery goal, and mathematical modelling competency. The present study examines the relationship between metacognition and mastery goal that may influence mathematical modelling competency. The current study employs 538 students of a mathematics education program; among these students, 483 (89.8%) are males and 55 (10.2%) are females, aged from 18 to 22 years old. The study follows a correlational research design to investigate and measure the degree of relationship among mathematical modelling competencies, mastery goal, and metacognition. Findings indicate that mastery goal positively affects mathematical modelling competency. SEM analysis indicates significant and positive influence of task-and self-approach goals on mathematical modelling competency, whereas taskavoidance goals are significantly and negatively related to mathematical modelling competency. By contrast, self-avoidance goals did not affect mathematical modelling competency. Task-approach goal is a positive partial mediator, task-avoidance goal is a negative partial mediator, self-approach goal is a positive full mediator, and self-avoidance goal is not a mediator between metacognition and mathematical modelling competency. In conclusion, metacognition positively affects the mathematical modelling competency of students, which is influenced by task-approach, task-avoidance, and self-approach goal but not self-avoidance goal.

Effects of achievement goals on learning interests and mathematics performances for kindergarteners

“…The self-approach goal was found to have no effects on both learning interests and mathematics performances, which is consistent with the expectations and arguments of the present study. These results are partially consistent with former studies that found no effects of the self-approach goal on exam performance ( Elliot et al, 2011 ; Gillet et al, 2015 ; Hoi, 2016 ), but they contradict others studies claiming it has a positive effect on mathematics ability ( Hidayat et al, 2018 ). This may be due to different foci among the self-approach goal, two learning interests, and mathematics performances.…”

“…Many studies have favored the 3 × 2 achievement goal model across countries and subject domains ( Wu, 2014 ; Gillet et al, 2015 ; Hoi, 2016 ; Mascret et al, 2017 ; Méndez-Giménez et al, 2017 , 2018 ; Wang et al, 2017 ; Hidayat et al, 2018 ; Danthony et al, 2020 ; Hunsu et al, 2021 ). However, this model has mainly been applied to school-aged samples, the exception being Wu (2022b) , who developed an instrument to measure kindergarteners’ achievement goals based on the 3 × 2 achievement goal framework, and this model as preliminarily demonstrated to be the best theoretical model for understanding kindergarteners’ achievement goals.…”

“…The literature review suggests that the task-approach goal is positively linked to perceived anxiety control, learning efficacy, absorption in class, emotional recognition, deep learning strategy, intrinsic motivation, satisfaction, engagement, positive affect, perceived competence, empathy, emotional control, instrumental help-seeking behavior, mathematical-modeling competency, and incremental beliefs ( Elliot et al, 2011 ; Gillet et al, 2015 ; Hoi, 2016 ; Méndez-Giménez et al, 2017 ; Wang et al, 2017 ; Hidayat et al, 2018 ; Méndez-Giménez et al, 2018 ; Danthony et al, 2020 ). In addition, the task-approach goal has not been linked to bodily symptoms of anxiety, exam anxiety, exam performance, energy in class, deep strategy, and surface strategy ( Elliot et al, 2011 ; Gillet et al, 2015 ; Hoi, 2016 ; Danthony et al, 2020 ), and it has been negatively linked to self-focus anxiety, somatic tension anxiety, problem-solving skills, and entity beliefs ( Wang et al, 2017 ; Danthony et al, 2020 ; Liu and Liu, 2020 ).…”

“…The self-approach goal has been positively linked to perceived anxiety control, energy in class, intrinsic motivation, satisfaction, engagement, perceived competence, empathy, emotional control, deep strategy, mathematical-modeling competency, and incremental beliefs ( Elliot et al, 2011 ; Gillet et al, 2015 ; Hoi, 2016 ; Méndez-Giménez et al, 2017 , 2018 ; Wang et al, 2017 ; Hidayat et al, 2018 ; Danthony et al, 2020 ). In addition, the self-approach goal does not relate to exam anxiety, exam performance, emotional recognition, exam anxiety, deep strategy, surface strategy, and instrumental help-seeking behavior ( Elliot et al, 2011 ; Gillet et al, 2015 ; Hoi, 2016 ), and it has been negatively linked to self-focus anxiety, bodily-symptoms anxiety, somatic tension anxiety, problem-solving skills, and entity beliefs ( Wang et al, 2017 ; Danthony et al, 2020 ; Liu and Liu, 2020 ).…”

“…In terms of the three avoidance-based achievement goals (i.e., task-avoidance goal, self-avoidance goal, and other-avoidance goal), they have rarely been linked to positive learning outcomes (e.g., deep strategy, class absorption, individual interest, or executive help-seeking behavior), but they have been frequently negatively linked to several positive learning outcomes (e.g., exam performance, autonomy, and mathematical-modeling competency) or positively linked to negative learning processes, such as test anxiety ( Gillet et al, 2015 ; Hoi, 2016 ; Yang et al, 2016 ; Hidayat et al, 2018 ; Danthony et al, 2020 ).…”