Performance-approach Orientation Research Articles

Examining the Relationship Between Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) and Subordinate Achievement Goal Orientations

ABSTRACT To date, organizational behavior and leadership scholars have placed a considerable amount of effort into understanding and expanding upon the LMX framework. One way that scholars have attempted to expand upon the LMX framework has been to examine whether certain moderators qualify the LMX process. This manuscript proposes that organizational members’ achievement orientations (i.e. mastery, performance-avoidance, and performance-approach orientations) constitute one likely set of member characteristics that qualify the effects of LMX. In testing this general proposition, a sample (N = 818) of organizational members from myriad organizations were sampled. Regression analyses suggested that those with mastery orientations perform exceedingly better in high-quality LMX relationships, whereas those with performance-approach orientations perform exceedingly worse. Alternatively, the effects of performance-avoidance orientations are direct and negative. Implications, future directions, and limitations are discussed.

The role of individual goal orientations in shaping skill utilization over time: a four-year longitudinal study

ABSTRACT Skill utilization is a critically important enacted job characteristic that is assumed to change over time. Building on work design process theory, we investigate the role of goal orientations (performance-approach, performance-avoid, and learning orientation) in gradually shaping job performance change patterns through their impact on skill utilization change trajectories. We tested our hypotheses using a 3-wave longitudinal study from 238 nurses collected over a four-year observation period. Using latent growth curve modelling, our results showed that performance-approach orientation positively predicted growth in skill utilization. In contrast, performance-avoid orientation negatively predicted skill utilization trajectories. Over time, skill utilization trajectories were also associated with job performance trajectories. Learning orientation was associated with higher initial levels of skill utilization, but unexpectedly, these high levels were not maintained over time. Our results help to provide a more nuanced understanding of the influence of goal orientations on temporal trajectories of skill utilization and performance. We discuss implications for designing effective, targeted interventions for providing opportunities to apply skills in nursing and health-related contexts.

The Relationship between Motivational Persistence, Self-Directed Learning Readiness and Achievement Goal Orientations of Medical Students

Aim: Nowadays educators are expected to be learners' companions and to guide directing learning successfully. Moreover, learners are expected to be individuals who can direct their own learning, be a stakeholder in their education, have a say in their own education, and understand their learning needs realistically. In this context, the features of learners such as orientation to academic success, motivation, and self-directed learning come to the fore. The driving force and starting point of this research is to determine students' motivational persistence levels, self-directed learning readiness levels and success orientations, and to examine the relationships between them.Methods This research is designed with descriptive method along with relational method. 780 students from Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Faculty of Medicine, from Term I to Term VI joined the study. The data were obtained with the "Motivational Determination", "2X2 Achievement Orientations" and "Readiness for Self-directed Learning" scales. In the analysis of the data, correlation analysis was used in addition to descriptive statistics.Results: Medical students were mostly goal-oriented while their performance orientation was relatively low. Medical students’ motivational stability level is moderate. Medical students’ self-directed learning readiness level is relatively high. Medical students’ success orientation, motivational stability and self-directed learning readiness are positively and significantly related to each other. Medical students’ approach learning, avoidance learning, performance avoidance, revision of the goals which have not been achieved, willingness to learn, and self-control differ according to the period they study. Medical students’ performance approach, pursuing long-term goals, pursuing current goals and self-direction did not differ according to the period they study.Conclusion: The results of the study showed that medical school students have a learning-oriented goal orientation rather than a performance goal orientation. In period VI, the level of motivational stability is lower than in other periods. Similarly, the highest self-directed learning readiness of students is in Term III and the lowest in Term VI. The characteristics that show a high level of positive correlation with the learning approach are willingness to learn and self-control. Performance approach is the trait that is highly positively correlated with learning avoidance achievement orientation. Performance avoidance achievement orientation and performance approach orientation show a high correlation. Characteristics that are highly positively associated with pursuing long-term goals are pursuing current goals, repeating unachieved goals, self-management, and a willingness to learn. Characteristics that are highly positively associated with pursuing current goals are repetition of unattained goals, self-management, willingness to learn, and self-control. Self-management and willingness to learn and self-control have a high positive relationship. The desire to learn and self-control are in a highly positive relationship. Research findings showed similarities with the literature as well as different aspects.

Effectiveness of a lesson study intervention on teacher behaviour and student motivation in physical education lessons

ABSTRACT Background There is a strong need for evidence based, effective continuous professional development (CPD) for physical education teachers. This need includes CPD aimed at impacting student motivation. Existing CPD on teachers’ motivating style often takes the form of singular events such as a workshop or training session. Research shows that in general, this only has a small impact on teacher behaviour and the effects on student motivation have not received much attention. Lesson study is a popular and more extensive form of CPD in which teachers collaborate on lesson planning, delivery and evaluation, based on predetermined goals for student learning. It has been suggested that this approach could enhance the effectiveness of CPD, but few studies have actually examined this at the level of teacher behaviour and student outcomes, especially in physical education. Aim The present study aims to contribute to the knowledge base of effective CPD within physical education. It investigated whether a lesson study follow-up to a traditional workshop approach would increase the effectiveness of a CPD programme on motivating teacher behaviour, student-perceived motivational climate and student motivation for physical education lessons, from the perspectives of Achievement Goal Theory and Self-Determination Theory. Methods Ten secondary school PE-departments were included in the workshop + lesson study intervention group (LS), whilst nine served as a control group that received a workshop only (WS). A total of 52 PE teachers (33 LS and 19 WS) and their 612 students (334 LS and 278 WS) participated in the study. Measurements were taken two weeks prior to the start of the CPD programme (pre-test), and again two to three weeks after the CPD had ended (post-test). Two teachers per school were randomly chosen for pre and post measurements in their games-lessons. Lessons were video-recorded and observed using previously validated observation instruments measuring autonomy support, structure, relatedness support, mastery climate and performance climate. Students completed questionnaires on their motivational regulation, basic needs satisfaction and achievement goal orientation during both pre and post measurements. Results In terms of observed teacher behaviours, there was a significant, large increase in teachers’ provision of autonomy-support and a trend for a medium increase in teachers’ provision of structure from pre to post in both conditions, whereas teachers’ employment of a performance climate decreased in both groups. There was, however, no significant difference in effect between both conditions. At the student level, there was a small but significant decrease in students’ performance approach orientation (PAp), with PAp decreasing more in LS than WS. Changes for all other student-derived variables from pre to post were negligible. Conclusion Researcher observations showed that both CPD approaches, the workshop followed up with lesson study and the stand-alone workshop, were equally effective in positively altering the motivating behaviour of PE teachers. However, there was no substantial impact on student-perceived motivational climate and student motivation. Therefore, in the manner enacted in the present study, lesson study cannot be recommended as an effective and efficient form of CPD.

The Relationship between Achievement Goal Orientations and Language Performance of Secondary School EFL Learners in China

Research in second and foreign language teaching and learning has indicated that there are many factors that influence language performance. These factors can be broadly divided into internal and external factors. This study investigated the impact of one internal factor, namely achievement goal orientations. It explored four types of achievement goal orientations namely mastery approach orientation, mastery avoidance orientation, performance approach orientation and performance avoidance orientation. This non-experimental quantitative study involved 360 Grade Eight Secondary school students from five randomly selected schools located in the Tongcheng County in Hubei Province, China. Data were collected using a survey questionnaire and the findings were analyzed using SPPS version 27. The findings indicated that there was a significant and positive relationship between achievement goal orientations and language performance. Mastery approach orientation, and mastery avoidance orientation however showed a significant, moderate and positive relationship, performance approach orientation showed a significant, low and positive relationship and performance avoidance orientation showed a very low and negative relationship with language performance. Overall, these findings imply that achievement goal orientations should be further explored as potential factors influencing language performance in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms.

Relationship of Classroom Goal Structures to Chinese Miao and Han Students’ Goal Orientations and Mathematics Achievement

This study examines the relationship between classroom goal structures, student goal orientations, and mathematics achievement in China and compare the pattern of relationship between Chinese Miao and Han students. Data on 532 Chinese students (including 211 Han and 321 Miao students) were analyzed using structural equation models. The results of this study generally support the ethnic similarities between the Miao and Han groups. For both samples, mastery orientation positively predicted mathematics achievement, while performance-approach and performance-avoidance orientations had non-significant relationship with mathematics achievement. Regarding classroom goal structure, mastery goal structure was a positive predictor of mastery goal orientation and mathematics achievement, while performance goal structure positively linked to performance-approach and performance-avoidance goal orientations. Despite the similarities, performance goal structure had positive association with mastery goal orientation among Han students, but not among Miao students. The findings extend our understanding of how classroom goal structures relate to Chinese students’ achievement motivation and mathematics achievement and reveal cross-ethnic similarities and differences in the relationship. The possible reasons of the results and directions for future research are discussed.

Achievement goal orientation: A predictor of student engagement in higher education

Achievement goal orientation has been studied within education for many years, but the practical implications are frequently focused on K-12 students and classrooms and less often applied to established concepts within higher education. Prior research has connected the construct to student achievement, along with stress and anxiety that accompany the learning of challenging new material. This study uses achievement goal orientation as a context for exploring student engagement in postsecondary education, joining constructs from educational psychology and higher education. Data were drawn from over 8500 first-year and senior college students across 15 higher education institutions participating in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Using a series of ordinary least squares regression analyses, results indicate that students who employ a mastery-approach orientation are more likely to partake in a variety of engagement indicators, such as reflective and integrative learning, higher-order learning, quantitative reasoning, and student–faculty interaction. Performance-avoidance orientation generally showed a negative relationship with engagement indicators, while results for the performance-approach orientation were more mixed.

A Serial Mediation Approach to Goal Orientations, Learning Strategies and Achievement Outcomes on a Computer-Mediated English Program

Computer-mediated learning initiatives have recently increased due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Implications are thus created for self-regulation, learning and achievement as computer-mediated learners face unique motivational and metacognitive demands. The current research uses a serial mediation approach to test the effect of goal orientations and the mediatory role of learning strategies on achievement among 195 Japanese university students on a 24-month computer-mediated English program. The tested model shows a good fit to the data and accounts for 28.5% of the achievement variance. Direct effects are observed between a performance-approach orientation and achievement. Mediation effects are also observed between a performance-approach orientation and achievement via a strategic approach to learning. In contrast, the effect of a mastery orientation on achievement is mediated via a strategic approach to learning. A mediated serial effect is also observed between a mastery orientation and achievement via a deep and strategic approach to learning. The challenges facing teachers and students of computer-mediated learning solutions in English as a foreign language (EFL) education and the importance of providing an informed experience that facilitates, supports and rewards adaptive motivations and approaches to learning are discussed.

University Students’ Perfectionistic Profiles: Do They Predict Achievement Goal Orientations and Coping Strategies?

The present study aimed at investigating the effect of different perfectionistic latent profiles on university students’ personal goal orientation and coping strategies. Four hundred thirty nine university students (82.5% females) from various departments (38.5% freshmen) participated in the study. Students were asked to complete anonymously three self-report questionnaires in groups in their university classes: (a) the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised was used for measuring perfectionism as a multidimensional construct, (b) the Personal Achievement Goals questionnaire for measuring achievement goal orientation (mastery orientation, performance-approach orientation, and performance-avoidance orientation), and (c) the R-COPE questionnaire for measuring adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies for everyday problems. Latent class analysis was conducted in order to create categorical perfectionistic profiles. The data support the three-group model of adaptive and maladaptive perfectionists and non-perfectionists. The adaptive and maladaptive perfectionistic profiles differ in the level of discrepancy between personal standards and accomplishments and significantly predicted adaptive and maladaptive achievement motivation and coping, respectively.

An Empirical Study on the Learning Outcomes of E-Learning Measures in Taiwanese Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) Based on the Perspective of Goal Orientation Theory

The constant improvement of an enterprise’s competitive advantage is essential for its sustainable operation. Simultaneously, the persistent and effective learning methods of organizational members lead to the accumulation of learning results and knowledge, which are important intangible assets, as well as the key to establishing a company’s competitive advantage. Many enterprises have utilized various resources (such as building systems and purchasing software) to facilitate employee learning. However, the employees’ learning outcomes may not necessarily meet these enterprises’ expectations. As advocated in many studies, e-learning is not merely a new trend—it also plays an essential role in the learning and training process that organizational members undergo. However, throughout the learning process, what are the factors that cause different e-learning outcomes? The goal orientation theory in educational psychology has provided a reasonable framework for explaining and describing the differences in employees’ post-learning behaviors. This study focused on employees from Taiwanese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their participation in enterprise resource planning (ERP)-based e-learning. The employees’ goal orientations and how they indirectly (with learning satisfaction as a mediator) impact the employees’ learning outcomes were examined and deduced. A questionnaire was administered to 405 employees from different SMEs who have had the experience of using an ERP-based e-learning platform. According to the structural equation model analysis results, the employees’ master goal orientation and performance-approach orientation (avoidance orientation) will exert an indirect positive (negative) influence on learning outcomes through learning satisfaction as a mediator. Lastly, this study interpreted the empirical results together with their academic and managerial implications, and proposed some recommendations for subsequent research.

Outcomes of Regular and Special Class Placement for Students with Special Educational Needs – A Quasi-experimental Study

ABSTRACT This study reports on an investigation of the differences in results between students with special educational needs assigned to special classes or regular classes in lower secondary education. Cognitive competencies were measured using curricular Finnish and mathematics tasks, school achievement using grade point average (GPA), and learning motivation by using self-reported goal-orientation scales. Propensity score matching was utilized to match the students according to their propensity to be placed in special classes, and 134 pairs were produced out of 860 available students with SEN from which 477 were assigned to special classes. Results of students assigned to special classes did not differ in curricular Finnish and mathematics in ninth grade when compared to their closely-matched peers in regular classes. However, students in special classes had higher GPAs and a higher performance-approach orientation and mastery-extrinsic orientation than students assigned to regular classes.

Measuring Effects of Technology-Enabled Mirroring Scaffolds on Self-Regulated Learning

Learning design in a massive open online course (MOOC) intends to promote creativity, autonomy, and social networked learning, amongst other things. Students in a MOOC are required to self-regulate their learning to properly self-monitor their learning process and effectiveness of the adopted learning strategies. This paper presents the results of a study among 279 students enrolled in a MOOC that was enriched with a set of scaffolding interventions for social mirroring. The mirroring interventions supported social awareness and social embeddedness of learners. Associations between the use of the interventions and microlevel self-regulated learning processes were measured and analyzed. The extent to which those associations are affected by learner demographics and motivational characteristics was also investigated. Findings show that interventions that provide students, throughout the course, with learning updates and progress of peers are associated with the students' engagement with learning tasks and applying changes in strategies for completing those tasks. Social awareness scaffold influenced more students low in need for cognition, with a higher education degree, high in performance-approach orientation and low in grit, to engage with their learning tasks, while its effect on the change in learning strategies was higher with those early and towards the end of their careers and high in performance-approach strategy. The social comparison scaffold affected more students low in mastery goal orientation and high in grit to work on their learning tasks.

Longitudinal predictions between temperamental sensitivities and achievement goal orientations in the early school years

Students’ goal strivings are known to be connected with important outcomes, both academically and with regard to individual well-being. In spite of their importance, our knowledge of factors contributing to their early development is rather limited. In this longitudinal study on school beginners (N = 212), we focused on the interrelationships between achievement goal orientations (mastery; performance-approach; performance-avoidance; work-avoidance) and two temperamental sensitivities that appear relevant for the developing sense of mastery and performance in the school setting: interindividual reward sensitivity (reward derived from social approval and attention) and sensitivity to punishment (propensity to perceive cues of potential threat in the environment, and react with withdrawal and avoidance). The data were collected over the first three school years, from grade 1 (7–8 years) to grade 3 (9–10 years), and analysed using PLS-SEM. As expected, both temperamental sensitivities and achievement goal orientations remained relatively stable over time. Interindividual reward sensitivity was related negatively with mastery and positively with performance-approach and performance-avoidance orientations, from the first through to the third year. Punishment sensitivity had a positive effect on performance-avoidance orientation, and indirect, reciprocal, negative effects with performance-approach orientation. The findings provide new knowledge on early relationships between temperament and goal strivings. Interindividual reward sensitivity appears consistently associated with performance concerns and decreased mastery strivings. Such connections may have long-standing negative influence on students’ educational trajectories, and point to the importance of acknowledging individual differences in temperament and their role in motivation and learning.

Improving Motivation in Translator Training: Achievement Goal Orientations of Translation Studies Students

In order to improve the student
 motivation, this study aims to determine the opinions of Translation Studies
 students about achievement goal orientations in terms of variables such as
 gender, department, class and perception of academic achievement. Research is
 based on the relational screening model and the research data was collected by
 using the Goal Orientations Scale adapted to Turkish by Akın & Çetin
 (2007). During the academic year 2017-2018, 242 students studying in the
 German, French and English Translation Studies Departments at a state
 university participated in the research. As a result, it was observed that learning
 orientation, one of the three sub-dimensions of achievement goal orientations,
 varies significantly by gender and perception of academic achievement; and
 performance-approach orientation, other sub-dimension, by department and
 gender. No statistically significant relationship was found between variables
 and performance-avoidance orientation, the third sub-dimension.

Work-related learning in the transition from higher education to work: The role of the development of self-efficacy and achievement goals.

Work-related learning is particularly important at the start of graduates' careers. Preparing students for work-related learning is a chief aim of higher education, demonstrating its relevance when investigating the transition to work. This study aimed to investigate the role of personal factors for work-related learning during the transition from higher education to work. This study took a longitudinal and person-centred approach by examining differences in work-related learning between different motivational profiles based on the conjoint development of self-efficacy and achievement goals. Questionnaires were administered four times, starting in the beginning of students' final year of higher education until 4months after graduation (N=814). In order to assess the development of the personal factors, different multi-indicator latent growth curve models were estimated. Afterwards, a multidimensional latent class growth analysis was used to identify latent profiles of participants with similar growth trajectories. Differences in work-related learning were investigated by a multivariate analysis of variance. The results revealed an average increase in self-efficacy, learning-goal, and performance-approach orientation, indicating that the transition to work triggers change in these personal factors. Performance-avoidance orientation decreased on average. Four distinct motivational profiles were discerned: strongly efficacious and approach-oriented, moderate efficacious and approach-oriented, moderate efficacious and learning-oriented, and undecided profile. Furthermore, differences were found concerning work-related learning, in which the strongly efficacious and approach-oriented profile reported more participation in formal and informal learning activities using personal sources, while the undecided profile showed least participation in the latter.

Team Leaders Matter in Knowledge Sharing: A Cross-Level Analysis of the Interplay between Leaders’ and Members’ Goal Orientations in the Chinese Context

ABSTRACTThis article investigates the impact of cross-level interplay between team members’ and their leaders’ goal orientations (learning, performance approach, and performance avoidance) on knowledge sharing using samples from design teams in two companies in China. Our results show that team leaders’ learning goal orientation plays a critical moderating role. Specifically, team leaders’ learning goal orientation strengthens the positive relationship between team members’ learning orientation and knowledge sharing; positively moderates the relationship between team members’ performance approach orientation and knowledge sharing; and weakens the negative relationship between team members’ performance avoidance orientation and knowledge sharing. Team leaders’ performance approach orientation demonstrates a positive moderating effect when there is congruence between the performance approach orientation of leaders and members. Finally, team leaders’ performance avoidance orientation negatively moderates the relationship between team members’ learning and performance approach orientation on knowledge sharing. This research enhances our understanding of the conditions under which knowledge sharing occurs among team members, using the lens of Trait Activation Theory.

Individual and organizational antecedents of trait mindfulness

Previous research on the antecedents of mindfulness is scarce. This study examines the individual and contextual antecedents, specifically ethical climate and goal orientation, of trait mindfulness. Data for this study came from 302 white-collar employees working in Istanbul who completed cross-sectional questionnaires on ethical climate, goal orientation, and mindfulness. First, it was found that caring climate, which refers to organizations that consider the wellness of its workforce, positively predicted employees’ trait mindfulness. Second, goal orientation was significantly associated with trait mindfulness. Mastery and performance-approach orientations both predicted positively to trait mindfulness with mastery orientation the strongest predictor. In contrast, a performance-avoidance orientation predicted negatively to trait mindfulness. As a caring climate predicts to employees’ mindfulness, it is recommended that organizations create a workplace where employees perceive themselves as family members, with an emphasis on teamwork, participation, and intrinsic motivation.

Goal orientation, implicit theory of ability and feedback-seeking in English courses

Drawing on Dweck’s (1986) goal orientation (GO), this study examines how GO is associated with learner beliefs and learning behaviors. It specifically investigates the extent to which GO explains feedback-seeking behaviors in English courses, and further explores how implicit theory of writing ability predicts feedback-seeking behaviors in writing. Forty-four EFL learners completed a questionnaire. It inquired learners’ GO, a learning orientation (mastering skills), a performance-approach orientation (demonstrating one’s excellence), and a performance-avoidance orientation (hiding one’s incompetence). Implicit theories of writing ability are examined in light of an incremental view (a belief that writing ability can grow with effort) and an entity view (a belief that writing ability is an inherent talent). Feedback-seeking in English courses was examined in both in-class and out-of-class settings, and feedback-seeking in writing represented their positive orientation to writing feedback. Results indicated that a learning orientation significantly predicted both in-class and out-of-class feedback-seeking, and a performance-avoidance orientation also explained In-class feedback-seeking. Furthermore, an incremental view of writing ability significantly predicted positive orientation to writing feedback. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed.

Investigation of Achievement Orientation of Nursing and Midwifery Students.

ABSTRACT: Purpose: This study was conducted to determine the achievement orientation of nursing and midwifery students and to examine some factors that may affect their achievement orientation. Material/Methods: The descriptive sample of this research was created by 209 first-year students voluntarily attending and studying in the Department of Nursing and Midwifery at the Faculty of Health Sciences of a public university in Turkey. The data were collected with "Student Presentation Form" and "2x2 Achievement Orientation Scale". Mann Whitney-U test and Kruskal Wallis test were used with frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean and standard deviation in evaluating the data. Results: The students were found to have 3.39±0.54 in the learning-approach orientation sub-dimension, 3.27±0.75 in the learning-avoidance orientation sub-dimension, 2.73±0.76 in the performance-approach orientation sub-dimension and 2.74±0.74 points in the performance-avoidance orientation sub-dimension. A significant difference was found between the students' gender, their reasons for choosing a career, and the factors that led them to succeed and the mean of the learning-approach orientation score. On the other hand, there was no statistically significant difference between the achievement orientation of the students and the variables such as age, high school type they graduated, and department preference order. Conclusions: According to the results of the study, it was seen that nursing and midwifery students have predominantly learning-approach orientation. Moreover, it was determined that female students, who selected their profession because of their interest and who expressed that the factor motivate themselves for the achievement is themselves, had higher learning orientation.

How a powerful audience and audience feedback moderate the relationship between performance-approach orientation and exaggerated self-promotion

The drive for employees to perform well may tempt them to practice exaggerated self-promotion tactics. The supposition is that those with a strong performance-approach orientation are especially inclined to do this, but that contextual variables are relevant. In this study, I examined the influence of the combination of two contextual variables (perceived audience power and feedback) on the relationship between performance-approach orientation and exaggerated self-promotion. A sample of 277 employees from two companies participated in the study. I found that the presence of a powerful audience weakened the positive relationship between performance-approach orientation and exaggerated self-promotion if the feedback from that audience was highly salient, and that a powerful audience strengthened this relationship if the salience of this feedback was low.