The Nature and the Consequences of Achievement Goals During Early Adolescence

The main purpose of the current study is to examine the nature and the consequence of achievement goals. Achievement goals, classroom involvement and uninvolvement, and end of semester GPA of 588 early adolescents were assessed both fall and spring before and after middle school transition. The results indicated that all three goals declined during early adolescence with pronounced drops within school years. Students' goal adoption differed as a function of gender, race, and prior achievement. Individual students varied in initial level and rate of change in achievement goals during early adolescence and these differences had implications for the growth trajectories of classroom engagement and achievement. Mastery goals predicted adaptive growth trajectories, while performance avoidance goals predicted maladaptive growth trajectories of engagement and achievement. Performance approach goals predicted desirable growth trajectories of involvement but not of uninvolvement. Further, the effects of performance approach goals on GPA changed over time. Performance approach goals exerted a negative effect on GPA in elementary school. The negative effects dissipated once students moved into middle school. The results indicated that the growth trajectories became more desirable as mastery goals increased over time. While the mean levels of performance avoidance goals for two years affect the growth trajectories, temporal gains and losses in performance avoidance goals did not closely correspond to the changes in engagement and achievement. The current study indicates that students who regulate their achievement goals in a desirable fashion are more likely to navigate early adolescence with minimum difficulty.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2006

Author dc:creator

• Shim, Sung-Ok Serena

Contributors dc:contributor

• Ryan, Allison

• Psychology, Developmental

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI3223716

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/79918