Effects of Achievement Goal Orientation of Dental School Students on Self-motivation, Self-regulated Learning Strategies, and Self-efficacy

Abstract

Purpose: The present study seeks to achieve two goals: to verify the correlation between achievement goal orientation, self-motivation, self-regulated learning strategies, and self-efficacy in students who are enrolled in preclinical practice instruction in a dental hygienist program; and to validate the effect of achievement goal orientation as an independent variable on self-motivation, self-regulated learning strategies, and self-efficacy. Methods: The participants comprised 172 female students who were attending a dental hygienist program at S college, located in S city in Gyeonggi-do province. Pearson correlation was used to analyze the relationship between achievement goal orientation, self-regulated learning strategies, self- motivation, and self-efficacy. In addition, multiple regression analysis was used to confirm the effects of achievement goal orientation on self-motivation, self-regulated learning strategies, and self-efficacy. Results: Our data showed that mastery goal and performance approach goal were positively correlated with achievement goal orientation, self-efficacy, and self-motivation, while performance avoidance goal was minimally correlated with them. Our multiple regression analysis revealed that the subcomponents of achievement goal orientation(i.e., mastery goal, performance approach goal, and performance avoidance goal) positively influenced metacognition(R2=.18) and behavior(R2=.35), the two domains of self-regulated learning strategy, and self-efficacy(R2=.17), as well as self-motivation(R2= .37). Conclusion: The achievement goal orientation of female students who attend a preclinical practice course in a dental hygienist program influences self-motivation, self-regulated learning strategies, and self-efficacy, similar to other findings in which subjects, from children to university students, have partaken in knowledge-based instruction.