Adolescent students’ digital engagement and achievement goal orientation profiles

Abstract

The current study investigated how students' digital engagement (i.e., digital learning preference, wish for digital schoolwork, and schoolwork and sleep impairment related to Internet use) is related to their achievement goal orientation profiles from Grades 8 to 9. The sample included 1482 Finnish students (15–16 years old, 53% female) from 26 schools. Students’ digital engagement and achievement goal orientations were assessed with self-reported questionnaires. Latent profile and latent transition analyses were used to investigate goal orientation profiles, and the Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars approach and logistic regression were used to explore differences between the profiles with respect to digital engagement. Four groups with different achievement goal orientation profiles were identified: mastery-oriented (focused on learning and doing well in school); success-oriented (driven to succeed in school and outperform others); indifferent (had all achievement goals at average level); and avoidance-oriented (sought to avoid schoolwork). Most students tended to remain in a similar group over time. The results indicated that students with either average (indifferent) or high achievement goals (success-oriented) might wish for more digitally mediated schoolwork. Mastery-oriented students tended to have significantly lower schoolwork and sleep impairment related to Internet use than other students. The findings supported previous studies but also provided new insights into relationships between goal orientation profiles and digital engagement.