Performance Approach
What is it?
Performance approach, as well as performance avoid, need to be described in terms of the student relative to their surrounding peers. In approaching perfomance, students are motivated to present themselves as the smartest in the class or the best at a particular content relative to their peers (Pintrich 99). They demonstrate these qualities by being successful through various tasks and assessments, acheiving success while exhibiting little effort, or outperforming their peers (Ames and Archer 260).
Influences
Performance Approach can be beneficial in influencing behavioral and cognitive engagement, interest, achievement; Can also have a negative affect as students may avoid and/or "...perceived threat of help seeking, test anxiety, and cheating." (Linnenbrink-Garcia). Students may be influence to take on more difficult tasks, but also may be discouraged if they fail the task(s) and it affects their grade making it perceived as a bad grade. Students are influenced with supportive environments that help set students' success. Students who have a need for achievement like good grade, being top 10%, or/and being praised by parents, this will influence how they approach their performance in school. Teachers have an influence on students by how teachers set up their classroom environment, when teachers have an environment which makes students want to do well, students will do their best to achieve learning skills.
Causes?
Causes of performance approach, students focus on doing well on a task and performing proficiently to appear smart. Students who focus on this approach find education and doing well in school important, they want to prove to others that they are smart. While some students view performance and success in school as a competition in comparison to others, it can also improve outcomes in other academic areas.
Teaching Methods
Students with performance approach goals like to try and outperform their peers. As teachers we should be constantly giving students feedback. This will help students make sure that they are doing the best they can based on their own work. Along with giving students feedback, students should be provided with letter grades. This will help students know exactly how they are doing so they can focus on their own learning. We can make sure they are still learning the material. These students should also be constantly challenged by their teachers. By challenging students, teachers are orienting their students towards success. As long as teachers are finding ways to help students focus on themselves and not those around them, students with a performance approach mindset can be supported as well as start to move towards having a mastery goal (Linnenbrink 2012).
Teachers should give recognition to students and also recognize the students that go above and beyond and stretch their abilities. (linnenbrink 2012). Giving students recognition will help them to move towards their goals and get excited to learn the new material.