Effects of goal relations on self-regulated learning in multiple goal pursuits: performance, the self-regulatory process, and task enjoyment

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of goal relations on self-regulation in the pursuit of multiple goals, focusing on self-regulated performance, the self-regulatory process, and task enjoyment. The effect of multiple goal relations on self-regulation was explored in a set of three studies. Goal relations were divided into two categories: facilitating goal relations and conflicting goal relations. A facilitating goal relation is a relationship in which the pursuit of a focal goal enhances the attainment of an additional goal, whereas a conflicting goal relation is a relationship in which the pursuit of a focal goal generates conflicts with additional goal pursuits. Specifically, Study 1 tested the general hypothesis that conflicting goals decrease self-regulatory performance, task enjoyment, and the adaptive self-regulatory process, whereas facilitating goals increase them during the performance of the focal goal task. Studies 2A and 2B tested how the extent of facilitating or conflicting relations between goals affects self-regulatory performance, the self-regulatory process, and task enjoyment during the pursuit of the focal goal. The findings of the three studies were consistent with the authors’ hypothesis that facilitating goal relations increase self-regulatory performance and the self-regulatory process, whereas conflicting goal relations decrease them. The author also discuss the implications for self-regulation, intrinsic motivation, and classroom organization.