The Mediating Role of Goal Orientation (Task) in the Relationship between Engagement and Academic Self-Concept in Students.

Pablo Usán Supervía,Carlos Salavera Bordás,Víctor Murillo Lorente

doi:10.3390/ijerph17228323

Pablo Usán Supervía, Carlos Salavera Bordás + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228323

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Abstract

Some students many not possess the necessary strategies and skills to meet the demands of academic life and develop negative attitudes, physical and mental exhaustion, and other attitudes that will undermine their personal and academic development. This study analyses the relationship and possible role of goal orientation as a mediator between engagement and academic self-concept. Methods: The study concerned a population of 1756 subjects from 12 secondary schools (ESO). The instruments used included the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale—Student (UWES-S), the Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ), and the Academic Self-Concept Scale (ASCS). Results: The results revealed significant correlations between academic engagement, task-oriented goal orientation, and academic self-concept. In addition, task orientation was found to play a positive mediating role between academic engagement and academic self-concept, leading to adaptive models in secondary school students. Conclusion: These results highlight the need to promote goal orientation in order to stimulate self-determined behaviours in the school environment and improved levels of academic self-concept, which in turn will facilitate the psychological and personal development of the student and increase the chances of academic success.

Highlights

At school, students are exposed to numerous contextual and personal circumstances that may significantly affect their personal and academic development, especially in secondary school, during adolescence, which is a key stage in the life of a person, preceding adulthood [1]
One of the most important psychological variables in this regard is academic engagement, a concept derived from positive psychology, which is defined as a psychological state characterised by resilience against stressful and exhausting situations [5]
Given the dearth of works that draw specific links between our target variables, this study aims to analyse the relationship between academic engagement, goal-orientation, and academic self-concept in adolescent students

Summary

Introduction

Students are exposed to numerous contextual and personal circumstances that may significantly affect their personal and academic development, especially in secondary school, during adolescence, which is a key stage in the life of a person, preceding adulthood [1]. Some students may not possess the necessary strategies and skills to meet the demands of academic life, and they may develop negative attitudes towards themselves and lose motivation, leading to poor academic performance and may lead to dropping out of school [2,3,4]. One of the most important psychological variables in this regard is academic engagement, a concept derived from positive psychology, which is defined as a psychological state characterised by resilience against stressful and exhausting situations [5]. Academic engagement is characterised by vigour, dedication, and absorption. Vigour denotes energetic and resilient attitudes towards academic demands, the willingness to invest effort, and the ability to overcome obstacles; dedication denotes involvement and commitment to academic task, as well as. Public Health 2020, 17, 8323; doi:10.3390/ijerph17228323 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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