Performance-approach Goal Orientation Research Articles

The Curvilinear Relationship Between Empowering Leadership and Team Performance: A Self-Regulatory Perspective

Although previous research demonstrated that empowering leadership has both positive and negative impacts on team consequences, our current knowledge of the processes by which and the conditions under which empowering leadership promotes or hinders team performance remains limited. Drawing on the too-much-of-a-good-thing (TMGT) effect and the team self-regulatory perspective, our findings, backed with a time-lagged and multi-source survey, suggested that empowering leadership has a curvilinear impact (i.e., inverted U-shaped) on team performance through team reflexivity, and this impact is contingent on team performance-approach goal orientation. We discuss the implications of our findings from both theoretical and practical perspectives.

Parental Psychological Control and Adolescent Academic Achievement: The Mediating Role of Achievement Goal Orientation.

This study examined the multiple mediating roles of achievement goal orientation between three parental psychological control (PPC) strategies and adolescents' academic achievement. The study sample consisted of 2613 Chinese middle school adolescents (52.6% boys) who were followed for one and a half years; they completed questionnaires on PPC (including love withdrawal, guilt induction, and authority assertion), achievement goal orientation (involving the mastery approach, the performance approach, and performance-avoidance goals), and academic achievement. We found that (1) the direct effects of the three strategies on academic performance differed, with love withdrawal directly and negatively predicting adolescents' academic achievement and guilt induction and authority assertion not being significant direct predictors. (2) The mediating role of achievement goal orientations differed across the psychological control strategies. Specifically, love withdrawal led to adolescents' academic achievement through their performance-approach goal orientation, performance-avoidance goal orientation, and mastery goal orientation. Moreover, guilt induction and authority assertion had impacts only on adolescents' performance-approach and performance-avoidance goal orientations. This study highlights the negative impact of love withdrawal on adolescents' internal motivation and academic achievement by warning parents not to use this strategy to influence their children's thoughts and feelings.

A Rasch Analysis of Achievement Goal Orientation Scale in Language Education Context

Motivation plays a crucial role in determining students’ academic achievement. An important aspect of motivation is student achievement goals or Achievement Goal Orientation. The trichotomous model of Achievement Goal Orientation has been widely used: Mastery Goal Orientation, performance approach Goal Orientation, and Performance-Avoidance Goal Orientation. Educators must be familiar with the orientation students adopt, as it shapes their approach during teaching and learning. This paper examines the validity and reliability of Achievement Goal Orientation in a language education context. One hundred twenty-three secondary school students attended the survey, involving 55 (44.7%) males and 68 (55.3%) females. The instrument was adopted from Elliot and Church's Achievement Goal Orientation Questionnaire (1997) and was modified into the language domain. The initial version of the instrument consisted of 20 items, while the final version, after modification, consisted of 13 items. The Rasch Measurement Model was used to validate the instrument. All the psychometric properties confirmed the validity and reliability of the instrument. Rasch analysis revealed that the scale showed strong evidence of validity and reliability in the language education setting. It is suggested that language teachers and experts use the scale to improve language learners' performance. The findings of this study may be tested in other fields of study to get more robust validation results for further validation of the scale.

Fighting the War for Talent: Examining a Multi-level Model of Talent Inducement, Work Engagement, and Creativity in Teams

AbstractIntegrating the literature on talent management and teams, and drawing upon the signaling theory as the overarching framework, we investigated the moderated indirect effects of talent inducements on employee creativity via employee work engagement in teams. Empirical data from matched leader-members indicated that team talent inducement was positively related to member work engagement, which was then positively associated with team and member creativity. In addition, individual learning and performance-approach goal orientation positively moderated this indirect relationship, whereas individual performance-avoidance goal orientation negatively moderated this indirect relationship. Together, these results illuminate a cross-level influence process of team talent inducements on creativity and individual goal orientations as boundary conditions.

Teacher support and student engagement in mathematics: The chain mediating role of academic self-efficacy and achievement goal orientation

This explored how teacher support impacted student engagement in mathematics. A total of 632 students in Grades 7 to 9 from junior middle schools in China were participants (females = 54.27%, mean age = 13.97, SD = 0.88). They completed surveys on teacher support, academic self-efficacy, achievement goal orientation, and student engagement. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 20.0 and Amos 24.0. Results showed that academic self-efficacy mediated the relationship between perceived teacher support and student engagement. Mastery-approach and performance-approach goal orientation respectively mediated the relationship between perceived teacher support and student engagement in mathematics. Academic self-efficacy and mastery-approach had a chain mediation effect on the relationship between perceived teacher support and student engagement and academic self-efficacy. Performance-approach also had a chain mediation effect between the two. The chain mediation effect of academic self-efficacy and performance-approach was stronger than the single performance-approach effect. These findings shed light on the motivational processes through which students perceive the impact of teacher support on their engagement in mathematics.

Perceived parental involvement influences students' academic buoyancy and adaptability: the mediating roles of goal orientations.

Academic buoyancy and adaptability (i.e., student capacities to deal with difficulties and challenges in daily school lives and to make appropriate cognitive, behavioral as well as affective adjustments in interacting with new, uncertain, and/or changing situations, circumstances, and conditions) can help learners regulate and protect themselves in the failure-prone learning environment. This study examined how students' perceptions of parental academic involvement and their goal orientations were related to their academic buoyancy and adaptability in mathematics learning. We recruited a sample of 1,164 Chinese junior high school students. Using structural equation modeling, the results indicated that after controlling for family socioeconomic status and gender, perceived parental involvement was positively related to the students' academic buoyancy and adaptability. Furthermore, parental involvement was significantly associated with students' mastery and performance-approach goal orientations, which further partially mediated the relationship between parental involvement and academic buoyancy and adaptability. However, the mediating role of a performance-avoidance goal orientation in this relationship was not significant. Findings highlight the important roles that parenting practices and individual achievement motivation play in the development of academic buoyancy and adaptability in the Chinese context. Future research directions and implications are discussed.

The impact of adolescent achievement goal orientation on learning anxiety: The mediation effect of peer interaction.

Learning anxiety is one of the most critical emotional disturbances, which also has a high incidence rate in adolescents. Peer interaction is critical and unique for adolescents. Although previous studies have found that achievement goal orientation has an important role in the development of learning anxiety, its mechanism has not been clarified. This study surveyed 470 adolescents (191 middle school students and 279 high school students; 211 boys) and established a structural equation model to explore the mediating role of peer interaction in the influence of achievement goal orientation on learning anxiety. Results showed that (1) there were significant gender differences in mastery-avoidance goal orientation, peer interaction, and learning anxiety, and there were grade differences in performance-approach goal and performance-avoidance goal orientations; (2) mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, and performance-avoidance goal orientations directly predicted learning anxiety; and (3) social anxiety in peer interactions had a mediating effect on the influence of mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, and performance-avoidance goal orientations on learning anxiety. The findings extend theoretical considerations by teasing out the process of peer interaction affecting the relationship between achievement goal orientation and learning anxiety. Additionally, the results have practical implications for the effective use of peer interaction to reduce learning anxiety.

Innovative thinking skills and creative thinking dispositions in learning environments: Antecedents and consequences

The purpose of this study is to investigate the antecedents and consequences of creative and innovative thinking in educational environments. The research group of this study consists of 110 students continuing undergraduate education in Turkey. The data were collected using a personal information form and three scales. As a result of this study, extrinsic motivation is a direct antecedent variable for creative thinking dispositions and innovative thinking skills, learning and performance-approach goal orientation is an indirect antecedent variable. Innovation search and inquisitive and opportunity-oriented dimensions are determinants of engagement. Supporting creative thinking dispositions, and innovative thinking skills does not affect academic achievement. Examining the variables associated with creative and innovative thinking will shed light on learning processes from many aspects such as creativity, innovation, commitment, performance, product development, achievement, and motivation.

The effect of changes in negative feedback on task performance: the role of goal orientation and feedback utility

PurposeDrawing upon the feedback intervention theory, this study aims to focus on the concept of negative feedback change (increase or decrease) to analyze the dynamics of performance feedback and its relationships with goal orientation, feedback utility and task performance.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a two-wave survey by tracking 195 employees and their supervisors from two representative semiconductor-related equipment companies in China for one month.FindingsResults showed that learning goal orientation positively moderates, and performance-approach goal orientation negatively moderates the indirect relationship between negative feedback change and employees’ task performance through employees’ perceptions of feedback utility.Originality/valueThis study provides new directions for performance feedback research by treating negative feedback from a dynamic perspective and addressing the mediating and moderating mechanisms. Furthermore, the findings also remind managers to not only consider feedback actions at a single moment but also manage it as a series of actions in the ongoing stream of time.

고등학생의 학업적 자기효능감과 학습몰입 간의 관계에서 성취목표지향성의 매개효과

The purpose of this study is to investigate the mediating effects of achievement goal orientation on the relationship between academic self-efficacy and learning flow of high school students. For the purpose of this study, a questionnaire was conducted on 299 students of B high school located in Busan, and the data of 287 students were finally analyzed. Correlation analysis was performed to examine the relationship among academic self-efficacy, learning flow, and achievement goal orientation; regression analysis was performed to verify the mediating effects of achievement goal orientation. The conclusions from the results and discussions are as follows. First, there are significant correlations among academic self-efficacy, learning flow, and achievement goal orientation. Second, mastery approach goal orientation has a partial mediating effect between academic self-efficacy and learning flow. Third, performance approach goal orientation has a partial mediating effect between academic self-efficacy and learning flow. Based on these conclusions, it is necessary to present an educational direction for effective learning in the school field by considering the achievement goal-oriented type in order to promote the learning flow of high school students.

The relationship between success and failure causal attributions and achievement goal orientations

The aim of this study was to investigate whether four causal attributions for success and failure each (two internal and two external attributions) can be predicted by four types of achievement goal orientations, and whether achievement goal orientations are connected with the perception of a performance as a success (vs. a failure). We surveyed 690 high school students writing a school-leaving certificate paper over the course of one year. Of these, 565 students (65 % young women) considered their paper to be a success; 101 students (59 % young women) viewed it as a failure. A binominal logistic regression and two separate path models for the success and failure samples were conducted. The main findings showed that the odds of perceiving an outcome as a success were higher with mastery goals and performance-avoidance goals. Mastery goal and performance-approach goal orientation were positively related to internal success attributions. Mastery goal orientation was positively and performance-approach goal orientation was negatively connected with the failure attribution ‘popularity with the supervisor.’ Performance-avoidance goals were positively linked to external success attributions and negatively linked to the external failure attribution ‘luck.’ Work-avoidance goals predicted all types of success attributions but none of the failure attributions. The findings provide in-depth insights into attribution processes and highlight the importance of promoting a mastery goal orientation.

The impact of fear of losing out (FoLO) on college students' performance goal orientations and learning strategies in Singapore.

The current research investigated the influence of the Fear of Losing Out (FoLO) mindset on learning strategy via performance goal orientation and its interaction with social comparison amongst Singaporean college students. In Study 1, a positive relationship between FoLO and performance goal orientations (i.e., avoidance and approach) was found. Study 2 replicated this finding and further revealed a downstream effect of FoLO on surface learning via performance goal orientations. In addition, social comparison moderated the link between performance goal orientation and surface learning in the mediation model. Specifically, in downward social comparison conditions, FoLO facilitated high performance-avoidance goal orientation, which in turn led to higher surface learning. Comparatively, in upward social comparison conditions, FoLO incited high performance-approach goal orientation, which in turn led to lower surface learning. Taken together, the findings yield significant theoretical and practical implications of FoLO on college students’ goal orientations and learning outcomes.

Performance goal orientation and unethical pro-organizational behavior: a moderated mediation model

Existing unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) literature suggests that it includes two definitional components: committing to achieving beneficial consequences for the organization and violating standards of ethical behavior. Existing research examining individual differences’ effects on UPB has mainly focused on moral traits and largely ignored performance-related ones, such as performance goal orientation. To address this theoretical blind spot, drawing from the general risk-taking perspective, we investigated how and when performance goal orientations shape employee UPB. We first conducted a business simulation study (Study 1) with 86 undergraduate students and found that performance-approach goal orientation had a positive effect on UPB engagement. Next, we sampled 446 employees from 93 teams (Study 2). Results showed that the relationship between performance-approach goal orientation and UPB was mediated by risk taking. Furthermore, performance-avoidance goal orientation was negatively related to risk taking and subsequent UPB for individuals perceive lower levels of UPB injunctive norm induced by higher ethical leadership. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications, and offer several directions for future research.

The mediating effect of intrinsic motivation between goal orientation and job crafting

The purpose of this study is to determine whether intrinsic motivation acts as a psychological mechanism that induces members' job crafting behavior in the relationship between goal orientation and job crafting. To explore this, we collected data by surveying full-time workers aging 19 or older online and used 333 participants for the final analysis. The results showed that mastery goal orientation positively predicted intrinsic motivation, and performance-approach goal orientation positively predicted both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Also, performance-avoidance goal orientation statically predicted extrinsic motivation. In addition, intrinsic motivation had a positive effect on job crafting, and relationship between goal orientation and job crafting was mediated by intrinsic motivation. Besides, a competition model was set up to check whether there is a mediating effect of extrinsic motivation on job crafting and compared with the research model. As a result, the research model that mediates job crafting only with intrinsic motivation was found to be a suitable and simple model. The implications and limitations of this study and directions for future research are addressed in the final part.

Prospective teachers' professional achievement goal orientations, their self-efficacy beliefs, and perfectionism: A mediation analysis

The present study aims to investigate associations between prospective teachers’ professional achievement goal orientations, self-efficacy beliefs, and perfectionistic characteristics. The results revealed that different aspects of perfectionism, and professional self-efficacy belief predicted prospective teachers’ different professional goal orientations. Socially prescribed perfectionism positively and significantly predicted prospective teachers' professional self-efficacy beliefs. While doubt about actions positively predicted work-avoidance goal orientation, concern over mistakes positively predicted prospective teachers’ performance-avoidance goal orientation. Self-oriented perfectionism, self-worth contingencies, entitlement, and PTs' selfefficacy beliefs positively predicted their performance-approach goal orientation. Prospective teachers' professional self-efficacy beliefs fully mediated the relationship between doubt about actions and learning goal orientation and the relationship between socially prescribed perfectionism and performance-approach goal orientation.

’MPower Shows Me Who I Want to Be’: A Qualitative Study of a Youth Purpose Program

<p style="text-align: justify;">Studies have documented widespread academic disengagement in middle and high school students. This disengagement has been tied to a myriad of negative outcomes, including failure to graduate from high school and transition into college and meaningful vocations. Supporting adolescents in cultivating a sense of beyond-the-self purpose is one factor that may combat student disengagement. MPower is a program designed to cultivate beyond-the-self purpose in an effort to promote student engagement and completion of high school (Klein et al., 2019). In a recent quantitative study, MPower participants compared to controls demonstrated a higher GPA, BTS purpose, self-efficacy, and decreased performance approach and performance avoidance goal orientations. In the current qualitative descriptive study, 11th and 12th grade (N=25) students in the Northeastern region of the United States, described their experiences in the MPower program. Three themes associated with the transformative aspects of MPower emerged from focus group data: 1) practice in strategic goal planning, 2) engagement in mentoring relationships, and 3) increased social support within a community. Because fostering youth purpose engenders many promotive and protective factors, these findings hold important implications for implementing similar programs more widely.</p>

A Class Practice Study of Intervention Effect of Interactive Assessment on Learning Goal Orientation.

While focusing on the moderating effects of initial performance-approach goal orientation and performance-avoidance goal orientation, this study aimed to examine the effects of self- and peer-assessment on the growth of learning goal orientation. We set up a control group and two experimental groups (self-assessment and peer-assessment groups) and conducted experimental lessons. The responses of the 63 subjects (control group: n = 14; self-assessment group: n = 25; peer-assessment group: n = 24) who attended these lessons were analyzed. The following observations were made: (1) the effect of peer-assessment on the growth of learning goal orientation may change depending on the initial performance-approach goal orientation or performance-avoidance goal orientation; (2) to increase learning goal orientation for students who have high performance-approach goal orientation or low performance-avoidance goal orientation, peer-assessment is effective; and (3) to increase learning goal orientation for students who have low performance-approach goal orientation or high performance-avoidance goal orientation, peer-assessment appears to be counterproductive.

How Challenge and Hindrance Appraisal Jointly Affect Employee Performance?

Challenge and hindrance appraisals are two interrelated dimensions of demanding situations. However, it is much unknown whether and how the two dimensions jointly predict employee performance. Integrating need satisfaction theory and goal orientation theory, the current study seeks to explore the optimal and suboptimal motivational processes by which the interaction between challenge and hindrance appraisal affects employee task performance and the moderation of individual goal orientations. In a diary study among 96 employees over 10 executive workdays (N Occasion = 960, N Employee = 96), we tested the three-way mediation and moderated mediation hypotheses. The results show that challenge appraisal, hindrance appraisal, and performance-approach goal orientation jointly predict employee perceived job meaningfulness and the resulting task performance, while challenge appraisal, hindrance appraisal, and learning goal orientation jointly predict employee challenge crafting and the resulting task performance. The research findings contribute to a nuanced understanding of demanding situations and how these situations affect employee performance.

The Profound Difference Concerning Flow in Achievement Orientations for High School Students

This study aims at determining the relationship between achievement goal orientations and flow experiences in the academic context for high school students. In line with this purpose, Achievement Goal Orientation Scale and Flow Scale in the Academic Context were developed. After-wards, the relationships between learning and performance-approach goal orientations and flow experience were tested by structural equation modelling. The sample of this study consisted of 1916 students continu-ing their education in fourteen different state high schools in Turkey. Results demonstrated that learning-goal orientation predicted flow experience positively and at a high level; however, there was no relation between performance-approach goal orientation and flow experience. The results were interpreted in the light of literature, and suggestions for future research were presented.

Insights on biology student motivations and challenges when reading and analyzing primary literature.

Reading primary literature is a popular classroom practice that exposes students to the process of science. However, the analysis of primary literature can be taxing and time-consuming for students. For this reason, it is important to determine the source of student challenges and what motivates them to read primary literature. To better understand students’ challenges, preferences, and motivations towards analyzing primary literature, we held focus groups with biology undergraduates where we asked them about their thoughts and perceptions on this practice. Students felt they struggle with understanding the big picture of an article, certain aspects of scientific literacy like data interpretation and experimental setup, and lack of knowledge of terms and techniques. Further analysis of the data using the achievement goal and expectancy-value theories of motivation revealed that students: 1) demonstrate mastery and performance approach goal orientations, which are typically associated with positive learning outcomes, 2) value the usefulness of reading primary literature, and 3) feel most engaged in the process of reading an article when the topic interests them. We provide pedagogical recommendations based on our findings.