Influences on Learning and Achievement

Tori Vigil

There are two important goal orientations within Achievement Goal Theory

The focus is on learning, improvement, effort, and skill development
Students who perceive mastery emphasis report:
- A greater use of effective learning strategies (i.e. planning, monitoring, comprehension)
- Having a more positive attitude toward class
- Gaining a preference for challenging tasks
- Having stronger beliefs that greater efforts will lead to higher success
This goal creates adaptive motivational (persistence, curiosity, better strategies) patterns and sustains their engagement

The focus is on ability, outperforming peers, and high grades
Students who perceive performance emphasis report:
- Having more concern with the judgment of their abilities
- Attribute failure to a lack of their ability
- Being less positive in their attitude and being less willing to embrace challenges
This goal tends to create maladaptive motivational patterns such as anxiety and an avoidance of effort when failure seems like the likely result.

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