Chapter 1
Current issues in achievement goal theory and research

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Abstract

This article focuses on three general areas of research on achievement goal theory, including the definition and role of achievement goals, the role of contextual goals and factors, and the measurement and induction of goals. Issues regarding the definition of achievement goals include the generality of the approach/avoid dimension and the consequences of adopting multiple goals. Contextual issues center around the processing of classroom information related to goal adoption and the role of goals in collaborative learning groups. Measurement issues include questions about the measurement of achievement goal orientations, measuring goals in context, and the validity of contextual goal measures.

Introduction

Research on achievement goal theory is currently one of the most active areas of research on student motivation in academic settings. The research has developed in the last twenty years or so from early research on the role of different goals, attributions, and beliefs about intelligence, success, failure, effort, and ability (e.g., Dweck & Leggett, 1988; Nicholls, 1984). Research has examined how different types of achievement goals relate to a host of student outcomes such as cognition, self-regulation, motivation, affect, achievement, and learning. In addition, research has investigated how different contextual factors in classrooms or in laboratory settings can lead to the adoption of different goals (Elliot, 1997; Urdan, 1997). The research has yielded a number of important generalizations about student motivation and learning in classrooms (see Pintrich & Schunk, 2002), but there remain a number of important issues to resolve in future research.

The purpose of this article is to discuss some of these current issues in research on achievement goal theory. We focus on three general areas, including the definition and role of achievement goals, the role of contextual goals and contextual factors, and the measurement and induction of goals. For each of these three areas we point out the important issues that need to be resolved and make suggestions for future research efforts.

Section snippets

The Definition and Role of Achievement Goals

There are a number of different models of goals and goal orientations that have been advanced by different achievement motivation researchers (cf. Ames, 1992; Dweck & Leggett, 1988; Elliot, 1997; Harackiewicz, Barron, & Elliot, 1998; Maehr & Midgley, 1991; Nicholls, 1984; Pintrich, 2000a). These models vary somewhat in their definition of goals and goal orientation and the use of different labels for similar constructs. There also is disagreement on the number of goals and the role of approach

The Role of Classroom Contextual Factors

The complexity and richness of classrooms send diverse messages to students concerning their purposes for engaging in academic activities. As noted above in the selective goal interaction pattern, the role of the context in influencing student goal adoption and the subsequent adaptive nature of outcomes are important to consider. Past research primarily has investigated the relation between students’ personally endorsed achievement goals and subsequent motivational, cognitive, and affective

Issues in the Measurement of Goals

Measurement issues are at the center of current debates in the achievement goal literature about the role of multiple personal goals and the role of contextual factors. As in any field, key theoretical questions also are related to the nature of the methods used and the validity of the measurement procedures. Given the two main areas of research discussed on the definition of goals and the role of contextual factors, there are important accompanying measurement issues. First, how many goal

Summary

This article brings together current issues being explored by achievement goal researchers and suggests future directions for research. In terms of the current work in the field, we suggest that researchers strive to become more consistent in the meanings they adopt and in their operationalization of achievement goals. Similarly, there is a call for research to examine whether the adoption of a three or four goal model is more appropriate, given the added approach-avoidance dimension.

Taking all

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to our colleagues in the Motivation Research Group at Michigan for very helpful comments on an earlier draft including Juliane Blazevski, Melissa Gilbert, Stuart Karabenick, Christina Rhee, Peter Simmonds, Brian Sims, and Akane Zusho. Thanks also to the editor, George Sideridis, and two anonymous reviewers for their useful feedback that resulted in an improved manuscript. Of course, the views expressed here reflect the authors’ and not necessarily these individuals’.

Paul R.

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