Author(s):
Marina Serra de Lemos 
; Telma Leite ; Cláudia Lopes
Date: 2007
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10216/10812
Origin: Repositório Aberto da Universidade do Porto
Document details
Conceptual and empirical dimensions of students' evaluation-related goals
Description
To clarify the current debate within achievement goal theory concerning performance goals, we suggest that there is more to students’ evaluation-related goals than the concept of performance goals comprises. Goal theory identified three dimensions of performance goals: approach-avoidant, competition, and appearance concerns (Elliot & Harackiewicz, 1996; Grant & Dweck, 2003). However, whereas evaluation-related goals may include strong goal statements stressing competition and/or appearance, they mainly consist of weaker goal statements such as receiving positive evaluations or avoiding negative ones (Lemos, 1996). Moreover, research has questioned the very relevance of performance goals (Brophy, 2005; Lemos, 1996; Urdan, 2001). This study defined three main aims: to establish (1) the distinctiveness and (2) the relevance of competitive and appearance concerns (performance goals) within students’ overall evaluation-related goals, and (3) whether approach and avoidant goals are empirically distinct. A pool of evaluation-related goals was formed combining three dimensions: approach-avoidance, appearance (present-absent), and competition (present-absent). From the eight resulting combinations, 2 refer to goals with appearance and competitive purposes, 2 to only appearance purposes, 2 to only competitive purposes, and 2 to evaluation goals (without reference to appearance or competition). 120, fifth and sixth grade students from two city schools in the North of Portugal, answered the evaluation-related goals items (9 point Likert scale); two weeks later they also completed the personal goals scales of the PALS (Midgley et al, 2000). Principal component analysis confirmed that performance goals involving competition and/or appearance only partially cover the conceptual and empirical field of students’ evaluation-related goals. Moreover, the analysis of goal priorities revealed that students focus mainly on getting positive evaluations and avoiding poor ones, and only to a smaller extent on competition.
To clarify the current debate within achievement goal theory concerning performance goals, we suggest that there is more to students’ evaluation-related goals than the concept of performance goals comprises. Goal theory identified three dimensions of performance goals: approach-avoidant, competition, and appearance concerns (Elliot & Harackiewicz, 1996; Grant & Dweck, 2003). However, whereas evaluation-related goals may include strong goal statements stressing competition and/or appearance, they mainly consist of weaker goal statements such as receiving positive evaluations or avoiding negative ones (Lemos, 1996). Moreover, research has questioned the very relevance of performance goals (Brophy, 2005; Lemos, 1996; Urdan, 2001). This study defined three main aims: to establish (1) the distinctiveness and (2) the relevance of competitive and appearance concerns (performance goals) within students’ overall evaluation-related goals, and (3) whether approach and avoidant goals are empirically distinct. A pool of evaluation-related goals was formed combining three dimensions: approach-avoidance, appearance (present-absent), and competition (present-absent). From the eight resulting combinations, 2 refer to goals with appearance and competitive purposes, 2 to only appearance purposes, 2 to only competitive purposes, and 2 to evaluation goals (without reference to appearance or competition). 120, fifth and sixth grade students from two city schools in the North of Portugal, answered the evaluation-related goals items (9 point Likert scale); two weeks later they also completed the personal goals scales of the PALS (Midgley et al, 2000). Principal component analysis confirmed that performance goals involving competition and/or appearance only partially cover the conceptual and empirical field of students’ evaluation-related goals. Moreover, the analysis of goal priorities revealed that students focus mainly on getting positive evaluations and avoiding poor ones, and only to a smaller extent on competition.
Document Type
Conference Object
Language English
Language English
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