Autonomous and controlled reasons underlying self-approach and self-avoidance goals and educational outcomes

Abstract

Based on the new 3 x 2 achievement goal model, the first purpose of this prospective research was to examine the relation of self-approach and self-avoidance goals to four educational outcomes, namely intentions of dropping out, educational satisfaction, self-efficacy, and achievement. We also considered the autonomous and controlled reasons underlying these self-based goals in order to investigate whether self-approach and self-avoidance goals, as well as their underlying reasons, related to outcomes. Data was collected from 330 students, at two time points. Our findings showed that self-approach and self-avoidance goals did not explain changes in outcomes, with the exception of the significant relationship between selfavoidance goals and educational satisfaction. The present results also revealed that the autonomous and controlled motivations underlying achievement goals were more strongly related to changes in all four educational outcomes than was the endorsement of goals themselves. Theoretical implications and research perspectives are discussed.

Students’ Need Satisfaction Profiles: Similarity and Change over the Course of a University Semester

“…Educational satisfaction was assessed with a single item measure (Gillet, Huyghebaert et al, ; Shimazu, Schaufeli, Kamiyama, & Kawakami, ) asking students to report the extent to which they were satisfied with their undergraduate courses using a 7‐point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree).…”

“…Dropout intentions were captured using a three‐item subscale created by combining two items previously used by Gillet, Berjot, Vallerand, and Amoura (; i.e., “I often intend to drop out of my studies” and “I am determined to pursue my college education”—reversed) with a single item previously used by Vallerand, Fortier, and Guay (; i.e., “I intend to drop out of university”). This three‐item (Time 1 α = 0.89; Time 2 α = 0.95) combination was previously validated in French by Gillet, Huyghebaert et al (). These items are rated on a 7‐point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree).…”

Motivational processes that support arts participation: An examination of goal orientations and aspirations.

“…Indeed, growth goal orientations (also referred to as self-based or personal-best [PB] goal orientations) are now included alongside mastery and performance goal orientations (Elliot et al, 2015). As research has shown, growth goal orientations, like mastery and performance goal orientations, predict achievement in multiple domains (Burns, Martin, & Collie, 2018a, 2018b; Gillet et al, 2017; Ginns, Martin, Durksen, Burns, & Pope, 2018; Martin & Elliot, 2016b). Thus, it may also be the case that growth goal orientations also predict aspirations across domains, such as the arts.…”

“…Despite the associated benefits of arts participation, researchers have found declining trends in students' arts participation both inand out-of-school (DiMaggio & Mukhtar, 2004;Rabkin & Hedberg, 2011). Indeed, in Australia, between 2013and 2017, the enrollment of students in upper high school art courses (viz., higher school certificate [HSC]) has steadily declined (31.4% to 29.9%), despite the overall increase in the number of students enrolling in HSC courses (66,841 total in 2013to 68,816 total in 2017NSW Education Standards Authority [NESA], 2018). This is in part attributable to time, resource, and policy constraints in high school and rising pressure to take traditional academic courses (Rabkin & Hedberg, 2011).…”

Effect of autonomy support and dialogic learning on school children’s physical activity and sport

“…Autonomy support characteristically nurtures students’ internal motivational resources by providing them with alternatives to choose from, encouraging them to take the initiative, as well as giving them regular positive feedback which enables them to structure activities both before and during their implementation (Reeve, 2009). In the educational environment, this pattern focuses on the students as the active agent of the teaching–learning process, there being a positive relationship between the teacher’s motivational style of autonomy support and positive results for the students (Gillet, Huyghebaert, Barrault et al ., 2017; Schneider, Nebel, Beege & Rey, 2018). Although research is still scarce, various studies have emerged that demonstrate the effectiveness of training teachers to adopt a style in which they provide autonomy support (Su & Reeve, 2011).…”