A survey analysis on goal orientation changes in an information systems distance course

Abstract

In this study, we used a survey to classify students' goal orientation towards learning -their motivation to learn -into one of the following classes: Learning (students who search intellectual growth), Performance-approximation (students who want to show their abilities and look intelligent) and Performanceavoidance (students who avoid challenges for fearing failure). The intention was to investigate how motivation characteristics influence students' perceptions and interactions towards learning. We classified students and correlated their classes with the time they dedicated studying, and their opinion about the educational resources available. The results showed significant differences in these factors, among students with different goal orientation.