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There are two main types of motivational patterns that relate to the Achievement Goal Theory: Learning/Mastery Goal Orientation and Performance Goal Orientation. In 2000, Paul R. Pintrich compiled an article that breaks down these motivational patterns and counters many popular beliefs that were found incorrect through this research. One of the biggest beliefs that he countered is that mastery goal orientation and performance goal orientation can not coexist with each other. He states that this is not true and all students possess both orientations that do exist at the same time, but one may be more apparent at times depending on their environment (Pintrich, 2000). Usually, a student's classroom environment will be the biggest factor in which orientation is more prevalent at the time. A competitive classroom environment will usually foster performance goals, whereas a non-competitive environment will foster mastery goals. There are no correct or incorrect orientation types; the success of these is instead based on the student and their specific needs.
Learning/Mastery Goal Orientation
Learning/Mastery Goal Orientation
Learning/Mastery Goal Orientation can be broken into two main types: Mastery Approach and Mastery Avoidance.
Mastery Approach Orientation causes a student to have a want to learn and understand the material they are presented with. In almost all cases, this will lead to positive outcomes for the student. It is also widely considered the best goal orientation for students to have, and many teachers try to create a classroom environment that fosters it (Pintrich, 2000). For example, if a student has an interest in a certain subject, they will be excited to show up and learn due to their mastery approach goals.
Mastery-Avoidant Orientation makes a student not want to fall behind on the material without having to actually learn the material. This orientation is also known as work-avoidant goals and usually has a negative outcome for the student (Pintrich, 2000). When a student has this orientation, it will often seem that they are doing well in a class to their peers and teacher, but they are not actually understanding the material, which will have negative effects in the long run.
Performance Goal Orientation
Performance Goal Orientation
Performance Goal Orientation can also be broken up into two main types: Performance Approach and Performance Avoidance.
Performance Approach Orientation causes a student to want to demonstrate competence in a subject and be able to outperform their peers. This does typically lead to positive outcomes for a student, but only if the student has a competitive personality and is not afraid to be wrong sometimes (Pintrich, 2000). For example, if the teacher creates a Kahoot, the students with performance approach will try and win to show they know the material better than their peers.
Performance Avoidance Orientation causes a student to be afraid of demonstrating competence in a subject for fear of being wrong or looking stupid in front of their peers. This almost always leads to negative outcomes for a student, as their sole goal will be to avoid demonstrating any sort of knowledge of a subject (Pintich, 2000). This orientation can often lead a student to develop self-handicapping techniques to avoid displaying their lack of knowledge in a subject or failing in front of peers.
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