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Goal Orientation Profiles, Academic Achievement and Well-Being of Adolescents in Greece

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Well-Being of Youth and Emerging Adults across Cultures

Part of the book series: Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology ((CAPP,volume 12))

Abstract

Adolescents differ in the way they motivate themselves, and the way they choose, perceive, and approach their goals. Goal orientations have been proposed to be a significant aspect of individual differences. In general, some students aim at gaining a higher level of skills, whereas other students aim at showing a high level of performance in relation to their classmates. This chapter aimed at exploring the links between goal orientation profiles and psychological well-being in adolescent students in Greece. Using a sample of 576 high-school students (M age = 15.2, 44% girls), person-centered analyses were performed on goal orientations scales whereas GPA, self-esteem and symptoms were used to measure adaptation and psychological well-being. Four profiles emerged, on the basis of the scores on the four goal orientation dimensions. Statistically significant mean differences were found between the four groups on all measures of adaptation. Mastery-oriented students were found to show the best adaptation, overall. The results support the notion that approaching learning tasks for the sake of learning and the resulting personal development is a strong indicator of positive adaptation.

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Acknowledgements

Stefanos Mastrotheodoros was supported with a doctoral scholarship by the “Alexander S. Onassis” Public Benefit Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Stefanos Mastrotheodoros

  2. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Stefanos Mastrotheodoros & Frosso Motti-Stefanidi

  3. Open University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Michael A. Talias

Authors
  1. Stefanos Mastrotheodoros
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  2. Michael A. Talias
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  3. Frosso Motti-Stefanidi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stefanos Mastrotheodoros .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

    Radosveta Dimitrova

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Mastrotheodoros, S., Talias, M.A., Motti-Stefanidi, F. (2017). Goal Orientation Profiles, Academic Achievement and Well-Being of Adolescents in Greece. In: Dimitrova, R. (eds) Well-Being of Youth and Emerging Adults across Cultures . Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology, vol 12. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68363-8_8

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