Achievement goals have been a major topic of research for more than 30 years. Achievement goals represent what and why individuals want to achieve. This literature has provided a large body of research in many domains (e.g., education, sports, work), but no study has hitherto been conducted in the driving domain. Moreover, no scale was available to assess achievement goals in driving even though driving is an achievement context. Indeed, drivers' personal competence is engaged and continuously evaluated both by others and the drivers themselves. The present study seeks to fill these gaps. The aims of the study were to emphasize the interest of investigating achievement goals in car driving, to develop and validate a scale named Achievement Goal Questionnaire in Driving (AGQ-D), to compare this baseline model with five alternative models, to assess the gender invariance of the scale, and to study its concurrent validity using interest and self-efficacy in driving, accidents, at-fault accidents, emergency maneuvers, and fines. The results of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed the good psychometric properties of the scale completed by 420 French car drivers, in comparison with five alternative models. The scale was also invariant across gender. Finally, the results of the hierarchical regression analyses showed its concurrent validity. The most significant results highlighted that mastery-avoidance goals (i.e., to avoid being a bad driver and avoiding failing in driving task demands) negatively predicted self-reported accidents and at-fault accidents. Performance-approach goals (i.e., to outperform other drivers) also positively predicted self-reported emergency maneuvers. The AGQ-D is now a tool available to develop research in the driving domain and to extend the numerous advances already found in other domains.
Investigating psychological characteristics through self-reported measures (e.g., anger, sensation seeking) and dynamic behaviors through objective measures (e.g., speed, 2D acceleration, GPS position etc.) may allow us to better understand the behavior of at-risk drivers. To assess drivers’ motivation, the theoretical framework of achievement goals has been studied recently. These achievement goals can influence the decision-making and behaviors of individuals engaged in driving. The four achievement goals in driving are: seeking to improve or to drive as well as possible (mastery-approach), to outperform other drivers (performance-approach), to avoid driving badly (mastery-avoidance), and to avoid being the worst driver (performance-avoidance). Naturalistic Driving Studies (NDS) provide access to the objective measurements of data not accessible through self-reported measurements (i.e., speed, accelerations, GPS position). Three dynamic criteria have been developed to characterize the behavior of motorists objectively: driving events, time spent above acceleration thresholds (longitudinal and transversal), and the extent of dynamic demands. All these criteria have been measured in different road contexts (e.g., plain). The aim of this study was to examine the predictive role of the four achievement goals on these objective driving behaviors. 266 drivers (96 women, 117 men) took part in the study, and 4 242 482 km was recorded during 8 months. Simultaneously, they completed the Achievement Goals in Driving Questionnaire. The main results highlighted that mastery-approach goals negatively predicted hard braking and the extent of dynamic demands on plain and hilly roads. Mastery-approach goals seem to be the most protective goals in driving. Future research on the promotion of mastery-approach goals in driving may be able to modify the behavior of at-risk drivers.
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