“To learn, or to be the best?”: Achievement goal profiles in pre-adolescents

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the achievement goal orientation profiles of 5 th and 7 th grade students and the profile differences in academic achievement and anxiety. Participants were 1652 Portuguese students who responded to the Achievement Goals Scale and the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire. Based on a person-centered approach, cluster analysis identified six groups of students with distinct motivational profiles: task oriented, ego oriented, success oriented, disengaged, selfdefeating oriented and diffuse. The largest number of participants were in the diffuse oriented group. In terms of the gender composition of clusters, differences manifested in the groups of disengaged and self-defeating orientations, with boys predominating in the former and girls in the latter. In age, the success oriented students group was in the majority composed of younger students and older students were more likely to adopt disengaged orientations. Clusters also revealed different compositions when retention was taken into account, with students who had been retained being more represented in the disengaged and diffuse groups. Moreover results showed that goal orientation profiles had effects on academic achievement and anxiety: success oriented students achieved higher grades and students whose profiles are predominantly ego oriented (self-enhancement and selfdefeating) express more class and test anxiety.

Effects of grade retention in lower secondary education on students' self‐concept, self‐esteem, goal orientations, and school career

“…In this context, students' experiences of success determine whether they pursue taskoriented, ego-oriented, or avoidance-oriented goals to maintain their self-acceptance levels. As a result, after the experience of school failure, retained students, may lower their expectations, and disengage from or avoid schoolrelated tasks (De Castella et al, 2013;Covington, 2000;Nascimento & Peixoto, 2012;Peixoto & Almeida, 2010;Peixoto et al, 2016Peixoto et al, , 2017.…”

“…The effects of grade retention on students' achievement goals have been relatively understudied. However, the few studies addressing this motivational approach consistently indicate that retained students were less task-orientated not only after being retained (Martin, 2009;Nascimento & Peixoto, 2012;Peixoto et al, 2016Peixoto et al, , 2017, but even before, by anticipating retention (Kretschmann et al, 2019). Task orientation is considered the most valuable goal orientation, defined by the goal of engaging in an academic task for learning and gaining competence, rather than external rewards (Anderman & Johnson, 2002;Skaalvik, 1997), and it is closely linked with achievement (Kaplan & Maehr, 2007;Skaalvik, 1997).…”

“…Considering the theoretical background and empirical findings previously mentioned, which establish a clear relationship between grade retention and students' psychosocial outcomes (Hwang & Cappella, 2018;Klapproth et al, 2016;Kretschmann et al, 2019;Lamote et al, 2014;Martin, 2011;Mathys et al, 2019;Peixoto et al, 2016Peixoto et al, , 2017, in this study, we had the primary goal of investigating grade retention effects on academic selfconcept, self-esteem, and goal orientations during lower secondary education (i.e., grades 7-9). Recognizing the time-varying nature of grade retention (Vandecandelaere et al, 2016), we estimated grade retention effects for students who were (a) retained in 7th grade, (b) retained in 8th grade, and (c) continuously promoted.…”

“…Nevertheless, it's worth noting that the levels of importance placed on academic self-concept by retained students consistently remained lower across the years. Altogether, these results may reflect students' strategies to protect and maintain their feelings of self-worth, which involve diminishing the value attributed to school-related activities, particularly by attributing less importance to academic competence (Harter, 1999;Nascimento & Peixoto, 2012;Peixoto & Almeida, 2010;Peixoto et al, 2016Peixoto et al, , 2017Robinson & Tayler, 1986).…”

Causal Attribution Scale for Elementary and Middle School: Convergent validity evidence study with achievement goals

“…A performance-avoidance goal represents the students' fear of failure, which limits their participation in class due to the discomfort generated by anxiety, mainly in the realization of, and feedback from, evaluative activities. These situations, considered as aversive by these students, foster the fear of earning low grades and of being judged as less intelligent (Bzuneck 2009;Peixoto et al 2017;Zeidner 2014).…”