Measure Of Achievement Motivation Research Articles

Test Anxiety and Academic Performance among Undergraduates: The Moderating Role of Achievement Motivation.

This study investigated the moderating role of achievement motivation in the relationship between test anxiety and academic performance. Three hundred and ninety three participants (192 males and 201 females) selected from a public university in Ondo State, Nigeria using a purposive sampling technique, participated in the study. They responded to measures of test anxiety and achievement motivation. Three hypotheses were tested using moderated hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Results showed that test anxiety had a negative impact on academic performance (β = -.23; p < .05). Achievement motivation had a positive impact on academic performance (β = .38; p < .05). Also, achievement motivation significantly moderated the relationship between test anxiety and academic performance (β = .10; p < .01). These findings suggest that university management should design appropriate psycho-educational interventions that would enhance students' achievement motivation.

On the Effect of Goal Setting on Self-Directed Learning, Achievement Motivation, and Academic Achievement among Students

This study aimed to investigate the effect of goal setting on self-directed learning, achievement motivation, and academic achievement in students. All secondary school students at eighth grade in Semnan city in 2015 constituted the population of the study. From among this population, the number of 40 students with the lowest scores in self-directed learning and achievement motivation was randomly selected as the sample. Then, these students were equally placed in two experimental and control groups. In the next stage, the pretest was administered to both groups and the experimental group received nine training sessions of self-directed learning. It is noteworthy that the control group received no intervention. In this study, pretest-posttest along with control group design was used. Fisher, King &amp; Tague's Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale and Herman's Questionnaire Measure of Achievement Motivation along with students' grade point average scores (first semester as the pretest and second semester as the posttest) were used for data collection purposes. Next, data analysis was performed using multivariate MANCOVA and univariate ANCOVA. The results showed that teaching of goal setting had a significant effect on the improvement of self-directed learning and achievement motivation; however, it had no significant effect on students' academic achievement. According to the obtained results, it is recommended that goal setting be taught to promote self-directed learning and achievement motivation.

Gender Differences in Achievement Motivation of Employed Adults

Achievement motivation is a concept that can be used for the explanation of individual differences in achievement and success in various contexts as well as an explanation of motivated behaviour. Despite the fact that a generally accepted definition of achievement motivation is still lacking because of disagreement over the traits it encompasses, numerous studies have been conducted on this subject. Researchers agree that achievement motivation is an important factor in professional life, particularly in achieving high professional success when external demands for focusing activity on achieving goals are minimal. It is of particular importance for those activities that have low structure levels and high autonomy. The study included 267 employed adults (124 males and 143 females) older than 18 years. Participants completed the Achievement Motivation Inventory (AMI) which consists of 17 achievement motivation scales. Individual scales form three clusters of motivational facets relating to self-assurance, ambition and self-control. The aim of the study was to determine the existence of gender differences in individual achievement motivation dimensions in employed adults in the Republic of Croatia. The results show the existence of significant gender differences in achievement motivation facets related to self-assurance and ambition in favour of males (e.g. confidence in success, dominance, and fearlessness) and self-control in favour of females. These results are in agreement with previous research and contribute to the usefulness of multifaceted measures of achievement motivation. Keywords: achievement motivation, gender differences, AMI

The Effect of an Enrichment Program in Life and Natural Sciences Module in Developing Achievement Motivation: An Experimental Study on Students of 1st Secondary Grade

This study aimed to test the effect of an enrichment program in a unit of science of nature and life on achievement motivation. The sample of this study consisted of 71 students (41 males and 29 females) enrolled in the new secondary school in Ouanougha, Algeria. This sample was devided into two groups: the experimental group (N=33), and the control group (N=38). To realise the aim of the study, an enrichment program was developed. The program was applied during the 3rd term of the school year 2012/2013. A measure of achievement motivation was developed. The results indicated a significant difference in favoe of the experimmenttal group over the control group both in each of the subscales and the total scale of motivation.

The Effect of an Enrichment Program in Life and Natural Sciences Module in Developing Achievement Motivation: An Experimental Study on Students of 1st Secondary Grade

This study aimed to test the effect of an enrichment program in a unit of science of nature and life on achievement motivation. The sample of this study consisted of 71 students (41 males and 29 females) enrolled in the new secondary school in Ouanougha, Algeria. This sample was devided into two groups: the experimental group (N=33), and the control group (N=38). To realise the aim of the study, an enrichment program was developed. The program was applied during the 3rd term of the school year 2012/2013. A measure of achievement motivation was developed. The results indicated a significant difference in favoe of the experimmenttal group over the control group both in each of the subscales and the total scale of motivation.

The Perception of Same Gender Coaches by Iranian Skaters and its Influence on Sport Achievement Motivation and Commitment

Aim: To examine the relationship between the perception of same gender coaches by male and female Iranian skaters and their sport achievement motivation and commitment. Participants: Fifty two female and forty two male skaters, age range 13 to 18 years, from the province of Isfahan in Iran. Materials: The following 3 questionnaires, tested for reliability and validity for the Iranian population and adapted for Farsi, were used: i) Pelletier, Fortier, Vallerand and Briere (2001) Interpersonal Behaviour Scale to measure social support of trainers, ii) Gill and Deeter (1988) Sport Orientation Questionnaire (SOQ) to measure achievement motivation, and iii) Scanlan, Simons, Carpenter, Schmidt and Keeler (1993) Sport Commitment Model to measure sport commitment. Procedure: The questionnaires were administered to participants in person by the first author after training sessions in sport stadiums. Results: There was a significant positive correlation between perceived coaches' social support and sport achievement motivation and commitment for both male and female participants. However, on all of the above measures females scored significantly more positive ratings than their male counterparts. Results of regression analyses conducted separately for males and females showed that relatedness support is the strongest predictor for sport achievement motivation and commitment for males, whereas autonomy support was the strongest predictor for sport commitment amongst females. Implications: These findings are of particular interest in understanding the impact of perceived coaching support for young male and female athletes, especially if coached exclusively by the same gender.

Predictors of Early Adolescent Girls’ Achievement Motivation

The present research was an exploratory research to study the predictors of achievement motivation of early adolescent girls- socio-economic status, intelligence and academic achievement. The sample of this research work consists of 132 girls studying in secondary schools of Pune City, Maharashtra. Projective test of achievement motivation by Deo-Mohan (1986) was used to measure achievement motivation. To assess economic, educational and social status of the family, Socio-economic scale was used, developed by Dubey and Nigam (2005). Raven’s (1960) Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) was used measuring IQ. However, academic achievement of the students was determined on the basis of school mark percentages. Pearson’s correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regression was done to investigate the best pattern of variables for predicting achievement motivation. Data analysis revealed that achievement motivation of students was significantly correlated with academic achievement. No significant correlation was found between scores of achievement motivation, intelligence and socio-economic status. Results of multiple regression revealed that academic achievement was significant predictor of achievement motivation.

Achievement Motivation and General Motivational Tendencies of Social Pedagogy Students

&lt;p&gt;This article introduces readers to the level of motivation of Social Pedagogy students within the context of this discipline in the Czech Republic. Herein it poses a number of topical questions, especially in relation to the manner of future social pedagogues’ preparation, selection of applicants, and their chances in the labor market. Equally it takes account of the elementary methods of measuring achievement motivation. In the empirical part the design of the research is proposed and the findings are presented. The primary aim of the research was to determine the level of achievement motivation of Social Pedagogy students at undergraduate preparation and their motivational tendencies. The secondary aim was to observe change dynamics in the level of achievement motivation and its individual components during university studies. The tests of LMI Achievement Motivation Questionnaire and MMG Multi-Motive Grid were used to obtain the results. In the conclusion of the work, the authors ask the question of how meaningful the contemporary approach of Social Pedagogy as a subject in the Czech Republic is; and they propose potential innovations. Moreover, research findings which have also shown prospective areas of students’ development can provide useful suggestions for pedagogues who research Social Pedagogy or educate future Social Pedagogues.&lt;/p&gt;

Overactive Pattern Separation Memory Associated with Negative Emotionality in Adults Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Bowler et al. (Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 44(9):2355-2362. doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2105-y, 2014) have suggested that a specific memory impairment in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) arises from hippocampal failure to consolidate multiple related pieces of information. Twenty-four adults diagnosed with ASD and matched healthy controls completed a pattern separation memory task that is known to critically depend on hippocampal involvement. They additionally completed questionnaires regarding anxiety, depression, and behavioral motivation. Specific deficits in pattern separation were significantly correlated with negative emotionality; the best predictor of memory deficit was from a measure of achievement motivation that has also been associated with hyperactivity and impulsivity. In the context of impaired emotion regulation in ASD, there is a need for integrated cognitive, affective, and neural systems approaches to build targeted interventions.

An International Comparison Study of Pharmacy Students’ Achievement Goals and their Relationship to Assessment Type and Scores

To identify pharmacy students' preferred achievement goals in a multi-national undergraduate population, to investigate achievement goal preferences across comparable degree programs, and to identify relationships between achievement goals, academic performance, and assessment type. The Achievement Goal Questionnaire was administered to second year students in 4 universities in Australia, New Zealand, England, and Wales. Academic performance was measured using total scores, multiple-choice questions, and written answers (short essay). Four hundred eighty-six second year students participated. Students showed an overall preference for the mastery-approach goal orientation across all sites. The predicted relationships between goal orientation and multiple-choice questions, and written answers scores, were significant. This study is the first of its kind to examine pharmacy students' achievement goals at a multi-national level and to differentiate between assessment type and measures of achievement motivation. Students adopting a mastery-approach goal are more likely to gain high scores in assessments that measure understanding and depth of knowledge.

Self-esteem and achievement motivation level in overweight and obese adolescents

&lt;b&gt;Background &lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; The increase in the prevalence of obesity and overweight is a global trend, whereas the number of studies devoted to the psycho-social functioning of the overweight young is comparatively small. The objective of this study was to investigate the correlations between the occurrence of overweight and obesity during adolescence and achievement motivation and self-esteem levels, taking into consideration the sex and age of subjects.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;Participants and procedure&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Altogether, 72 subjects were included in the study. Of them, 36 were overweight (n = 16; BMI = 25-29.9) or obese (n = 20; BMI ≥ 30), whereas the control group (n = 36) comprised individuals with standard body weight. Both the overweight/obese group and the control group were composed of 18 females and 18 males. The age range of subjects was 14-21 (M = 17.32; SD = 2.61). The M. Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Questionnaire of Measuring Achievement Motivation (by M. Widerszal-Bazyl), and also a socio-demographic survey, were applied.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;Results&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Overweight and obese individuals are characterized by lower (average or low) self-esteem and achievement motivation (they are characterized by a lower perseverance level while performing tasks, perceive time in a less dynamic way, are less future-oriented, and their self-confidence level is lower) than individuals with standard body weight, and who are characterized by high self-esteem and average achievement motivation. In the scope of school mark average, and also of planning higher academic education, there are no intergroup differences. Sex, and also age, does not differentiate overweight or obese individuals in the scope of self-esteem or achievement motivation. Differences occur in the case of comparing individuals of the same sex. Overweight or obese women are characterized by a lower self-esteem level than those whose body mass index is normal. Overweight or obese men are characterized by a lower self-esteem and achievement motivation levels (apart from the above-mentioned indicators, they are characterized by a lower level of ability to delay gratification, and of striving for social recognition) than these whose body mass index is normal. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;Conclusions&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Higher self-esteem occurs together with a stronger motivation achievement in the entire studied group. This correlation does not occur when the group of overweight and obese individuals, and also the control group, are considered separately. In the entire studied group, as well as in subgroups (of overweight and obese, and also of people with normal weight), there is no connection between self-esteem, mean school grades and planning higher academic education.

Culture, values and entrepreneurial motivation in Bhutan

Purpose– This study aims to conduct a comparative exploration into the effects of culture, social values and entrepreneurial motivation on the career decisions of youth in the newly liberalizing economy of Bhutan. These data should inform current efforts in that country to foster greater entrepreneurship among young people as a means to national development and enhanced levels of gross national happiness (GNH).Design/methodology/approach– We surveyed 144 young people with an express interest in becoming educated in business and entrepreneurship, located in Bhutan and Canada. We measured the seven Hofstede's dimensions of national culture, two dimensions of social values from the world values survey and the three dimensions of McClelland's need for achievement construct – in all cases by reusing well-established metrics from the entrepreneurship and international business literature. The novel Bhutanese data are then compared to the equivalent data for Canada to provide context for their interpretation.Findings– Our results show significant and wide-spread differences in the measures of culture and social values. On the measures of achievement motivation, our results show that the Bhutanese youth differ only in a significantly lower need for demonstrating mastery.Research limitations/implications– This study appears to be the first report of the widely used international measures of culture, values and motivation for Bhutan, which represents a context that differs very significantly from many of its Asian neighbors and from western countries that are the usual subjects of research into drivers of entrepreneurship. As such, Bhutan may form an important test of the generalizability of theories of entrepreneurship and national development.Practical implications– Our results point to novel and clear linkages between national policy objectives of increased entrepreneurship among youth and the specific supports and obstacles that exist in the national culture and values. These linkages, along with our findings on Bhutanese levels of achievement motivation, should inform the development of training programs to support the achievement of the national objectives.Originality/value– Bhutan represents a unique combination where national entrepreneurship programs are being used for economic development in the context of a highly traditional social environment based on the maximization of GHN. Our results provide a unique insight into significant effects that culture and values may have in the realization of these goals for the people of Bhutan.

ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN RELATION TO THEIR SOCIAL POSITION IN THE CLASS

The study was based on a theoretical presumption that social climate and relationships in the class can be in specific ways connected with students’ achievement motivation. Previous research in the area of student motivation was mostly based on self-reports and was therefore focused on explicit motives, i.e. personal goals which the respondents strived for. Self-report measures of motivation, however, can be affected by biases and misperceptions of one’s own self. Our study approached achievement motivation at its implicit, i.e. non-conscious level. It was conducted with students in five classes of a secondary school, N = 138, 107 female and 31 male, with an average age of 17 years. The respondents were administered a sociometric questionnaire and the projective Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) in McClelland´s adaptation using Heckhausen´s content-analytical clue for the measurement of achievement motivation. The hypothesized relation between social position in class and achievement motivation was only partly supported. Affiliation was unrelated to achievement motivation, even when analyzed for both achievement motives separately. We found a slight negative relationship between influence in the class and achievement motivation, especially with the motive to achieve success. These results, partly diverging from theoretical presumptions, can be explained in terms of specific features of the sample as well as a general methodological disparity in previous research, especially a lack of differentiation between implicit and explicit motives in the interpretation of the findings. Key words: achievement motivation, social position, sociometry.

Student-athletes’ Evaluation of Coaches’ Coaching Competencies and Their Sport Achievement Motivation

The primary concerns of this study is whether universities’ sport coaches possess good coaching competency skills in bringing up potential athletes for the country. What are coaches’ coaching competency levels? Do their competencies capability able to contribute significantly to sport achievement motivation of student-athletes? Thus, this study was designed to evaluate the competency level of coaches and student-athletes’ achievement motivation at the Higher Educational Institutions (HEI) in sports competitions. A total of 322 student-athletes were participated in the questionnaire survey. Researchers have adapted the Coaching Competency Scale to measure four different dimensions of coaching competency and Sport Orientation Questionnaire to measure achievement motivation of student-athletes. Validity and reliability of the instrument were found to be satisfactory.The results of this study indicate that the coaches’ competency levels at the HEI were not differ significantly by gender and performance of student-athletes, but it was differed significantly by type of sport, between team and individual sports. In addition, this study showed that there was a moderate relationship between the competencies of sport coaches and achievement motivation among student-athletes. However, among the coaches’ coaching competencies, motivation competency of coaches was found to be significant contributor to student-athletes sport achievement motivation. The study provides important insights from the perspective of sport development programme at the related organizations which can be valuable in identifying and recruiting suitable coaches; and helping coaches to some extent in planning strategies for coaching athletes to ensure the effectiveness of its role as a coach.

Measuring achievement motivation at early adolescent age

Using the sample of adult respondents from the domestic population we defined the structure of achievement motivation with four relatively independent dimensions of competing with others, perseverance in achieving goals, achieving goals as a source of pleasure and orientation towards planning. Based on this model we constructed the MOP/D scale for measuring achievement motivation at early adolescent age, containing 35 items and three-level categories of responses. This scale was administered together with the questionnaires exploring the motivation for school learning and personality features on the initial sample (261 respondents; 48% female) and the cross-validation sample (2234 respondents; 49% female) aged 10 to 16. It has been shown that the MOP/D scale is highly representative, with excellent reliability, and, considering the expected complexity of the space of measuring, acceptable homogeneity. Using the exploratory factor analysis on both samples, four primary dimensions were defined: planning, studying, competing and perseverance, and the general factor of achievement motivation. The results of correlation analyses revealed satisfactory criterion, convergent and discriminatory validity of the MOP/D scale against the measures of academic motivation, personality features and the variables derived from data on school success. Hence, the MOP/D scale has good psychometric characteristics and can be applied in research and practical psychological activities for measuring achievement motivation of respondents at early adolescent age.

The Impact of an Associate’s Degree Program for Incarcerated Students

This article reports findings from an impact study of a 2-year postsecondary academic program offered in state prisons. Outcomes examined for participants during their 1st year of participation include performance on a standardized test of critical thinking skills, credit acquisition, achievement motivation, educational aspirations, personal development, and institutional (prison) climate. A cluster randomized design was used in which prisons in six states were randomly assigned to implement the Correctional Education Association College of the Air (CEA/COA) program or control programming. Analyses show that students in the CEA/COA program had average critical thinking scores that were about three fourths of a point lower, as measured by the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (effect size = −.14), and acquired on average approximately two fewer credits (effect size = −.43) than students from control sites after 1 year. There were no significant group differences associated with educational aspirations, achievement motivation, personal development, and institutional climate measures.

Developing measures of motivational orientation to read and write: A longitudinal study

The goals of the current study were to develop domain-specific measures of reading and writing achievement motivation that could be used with students at different grade levels in both intervention studies and developmental research. We framed motivation to read and write in terms of goals and definitions of success to address limitations of current measures by focusing on children's reasons or motives for learning or improving reading and writing skills. We used achievement goal theory to develop and test scales measuring achievement motivation (orientations) in reading and writing with a longitudinal sample of students in grades 2, 4, and 5 (Cohort 1) and 4, 6, and 7 (Cohort 2). Multiple-group confirmatory factor analyses provided evidence of congeneric grade invariance for reading scales including two dimensions of task orientation (mastery and interest), reading ego orientation and reading avoidance/alienation. More complex results supported congeneric grade invariance of writing scales for two dimensions of task orientation (social communication, creative self-expression), writing ego orientation, writing avoidance/alienation, and either ego-avoidance (4th & 5th grades) or writing mastery orientation (6th & 7th grades). Concurrent and discriminant validity were demonstrated through positive correlations between task orientation factors and measures of reading and writing attitude, and negative correlations between reading and writing avoidance and performance on the WIAT II. Reading and writing motivation scales were correlated in ways consistent with previous cross-domain research using achievement goal theory. Implications for developmental and intervention research in reading and writing are discussed.

Utility of Implicit Personality: Effects of Achievement Motivation and Evaluations on Creativity

Implicit personality is a widely used concept in psychology but has yet to find little acceptance by management researchers. I describe implicit personality and its and relationship to existing personality concepts, and then provide a test of theory using an implicit measure of achievement motivation. I theoretically link achievement motivation to individual creative performance and describe how this relationship is moderated by expectations of different types of evaluations. This theory is then tested in a laboratory study with a measure of implicit achievement motivation. Results suggest achievement motivation, measured implicitly, is related to creative performance and is moderated by expectation of evaluation. This effect holds when controlling for other factors previously tested as predictors of creativity and an explicit measure of achievement motivation. Previous studies testing the link between achievement motivation and creativity had found no effect when using explicit measures. The major implications of this study are that achievement motivation is an important predictor of creative performance and that management researchers should give more credence to the utility of implicit personality.

Extending the 2 × 2 Achievement Goal Framework: Development of a Measure of Scientific Achievement Goals

The current research sought to extend the 2 × 2 achievement goal framework by developing and testing the Achievement Goals for Research Scale (AGRS). Participants (N = 317) consisted of graduate students in the life, physical, and behavioral sciences. A principal components analysis (PCA) extracted five components accounting for 72.59% of the variance in the data. Additional confirmatory factor analytic testing yielded support for a 6-factor model in which the performance factor was bifurcated into approach and avoidance components. The final solution comprised the following 6 subscales: (a) absolute task mastery goals; (b) incremental task mastery goals; (c) mastery avoidance goals; (d) performance approach goals; (e) performance avoidance goals; and (f) self-demonstration of competence goals. The 6-factor model was found to outperform alternative 5-, 3-, and 2-factor models. Preliminary evidence of convergent and discriminant validity was evidenced by way of relations with measures of academic achievement motivation, behavioral inhibition/activation sensitivity, fear of failure, self-handicapping, and decisional procrastination. Future research directions and implications for career assessment and achievement goal theory are discussed.

Investigating Measures of Achievement Motivation(s)

After a long debate there is now growing agreement that implicit and explicit achievement motivation can be seen as distinct constructs. One of their major differences lies in their predictive validity, which supposedly differs depending on the setting. Empirical evidence exists to the effect that different explicit measures based on different theoretical concepts build one construct. For implicit measures, however, such evidence is lacking. Thus, scores on three implicit and three explicit achievement motivation measures, an intelligence test, and a Big 5 questionnaire were obtained (N = 150) as well as two criteria. The explicit achievement motivation measures were classified as being based either on Murray’s or on McClelland’s theory. Results replicate the idea of a common construct for explicit measures but not for implicit measures. The assumed predictions did not occur for all tests and disappeared when controlling for intelligence.