Achievement Of Personal Goals Research Articles

Task-specific training in Huntington disease: a randomized controlled feasibility trial.

Task-specific training may be a suitable intervention to address mobility limitations in people with Huntington disease (HD). The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and safety of goal-directed, task-specific mobility training for individuals with mid-stage HD. This study was a randomized, blinded, feasibility trial; participants were randomly assigned to control (usual care) and intervention groups. This multisite study was conducted in 6 sites in the United Kingdom. Thirty individuals with mid-stage HD (13 men, 17 women; mean age=57.0 years, SD=10.1) were enrolled and randomly assigned to study groups. Task-specific training was conducted by physical therapists in participants' homes, focusing on walking, sit-to-stand transfers, and standing, twice a week for 8 weeks. Goal attainment scaling was used to individualize the intervention and monitor achievement of personal goals. Adherence and adverse events were recorded. Adjusted between-group comparisons on standardized outcome measures were conducted at 8 and 16 weeks to determine effect sizes. Loss to follow-up was minimal (n=2); adherence in the intervention group was excellent (96.9%). Ninety-two percent of goals were achieved at the end of the intervention; 46% of the participants achieved much better than expected outcomes. Effect sizes on all measures were small. Measurements of walking endurance were lacking. The safety of and excellent adherence to a home-based, task-specific training program, in which most participants exceeded goal expectations, are encouraging given the range of motivational, behavioral, and mobility issues in people with HD. The design of the intervention in terms of frequency (dose), intensity (aerobic versus anaerobic), and specificity (focused training on individual tasks) may not have been sufficient to elicit any systematic effects. Thus, a larger-scale trial of this specific intervention does not seem warranted.

Perceived parent goals and student goal orientations as predictors of seeking or not seeking help: Does age matter?

To study the contribution of perceived parent achievement goals to students' attitudes towards academic help seeking, 4th, 6th, 7th, and 9th grade students in Greece (n = 712) reported perceptions of their parents' achievement goals, personal achievement goal orientations, and help-seeking beliefs and intentions. Students' mastery goal orientation positively predicted their help-seeking attitudes (perceived benefits and intentions to seek help) and negatively predicted their help-seeking avoidance attitudes (perceived costs and intentions to avoid seeking help), whereas performance-avoidance orientation directly predicted their help-seeking avoidance attitudes. Multiple-group path analysis indicated that perceived parent goals predicted student help seeking and help avoidance attitudes through students' own achievement goal orientations. Further, the pattern of relations varied by grade level. Results are discussed in light of current theory and research on the developmental phases of parental influence on student motivation and self-regulated learning.

Autonomy support and achievement goals as predictors of perceived school performance and life satisfaction in the transition between lower and upper secondary school

A self-determination theory perspective on motivation assumes that basic need support is a prerequisite for motivation, achievement, and well-being in several domains of life. In the present cross-sectional study, a representative sample of 2.594 Norwegian students in their final year of lower secondary education and their first year of upper secondary education responded to a survey measuring the students’ perceptions of their teachers’ autonomy support, the students’ personal achievement goals, perceived school performance, and life satisfaction. The purpose was to investigate the structural relation between these variables, as well as grade level and gender differences. The results showed that all achievement goals (mastery, performance approach and performance avoidance) were positively predicted by autonomy support. Perceived school performance and life satisfaction were predicted by autonomy support and achievement goals, but there were some grade and gender specific relations. Furthermore, students in their first year of upper secondary education had a higher mean level of all motivational variables. Finally, mastery goals were more important for girls than boys, whereas performance goals were more important for boys than girls. In conclusion, both academic achievement (perceived school performance) and life satisfaction may be considered as important indicators of adjustment to life, and they are related to the students’ perception of teachers’ autonomy support as well as the students’ own motivation for learning. However, the mean level of these variables is partly accounted for by grade level and gender.

PERCEPTIONS OF CONTEXTUAL ACHIEVEMENT GOALS: CONTRIBUTION TO HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT GOAL ORIENTATION, STRATEGY USE AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Abstract: The current study had two aims: 1) to explore the effects of contextual goals, defined as perceived parents' and teachers' goals, and classroom goal structures, on highschool students' personal achievement goal orientations and 2) to examine the effects of personal and perceived contextual goals on reading and learning strategies, and self-handicapping behavior, as well as their effect on academic achievement. Highschool students (n = 403) completed questionnaires assessing goal orientations and strategies. Their GPA at the end of the school year was also recorded. The results of the study showed that perceived contextual goals were significant predictors of students' corresponding personal goal orientations, although the results were not clearcut. Perceived contextual performance goals also predicted students' work-avoidance goal orientation and self-handicapping behavior that was related to lower academic achievement. On the other hand, contextual mastery goals, especially parents' mastery goals, had significant effects on employment of deep learning and reading strategies.Key wo rds: achievement goa ls, learning strategies, self-handicapping, parents, teachersWithin the achievement goal theory frame- work two goal orientations reflecting con- trasting motivational processes have been repeatedly recognized (Elliot, Dweck, 1988; Maehr, Midgley, 1991). A mastery (learning, task-involved, task-focused) goal orientation reflects a focus on mastering the task, devel- oping new skills, and improving competence and comprehension. Performance (ego-in- volved, ability-focused) goal orientation, on the other hand, has often been separated into performance-approach, which reflects a fo- cus on demonstrating competence and gain- ing favorable judgments, and performance- avoidance, which reflects a focus on avoid- ing the demonstration of lack of competence and unfavorable judgments (Elliot, Church, 1997; Middleton, Midgley, 1997). Some au- thors (Meece, Blumenfeld, Hoyle, 1988; Nicholls, Patashnick, Nolen, 1985) recog- nized an additional avoidance goal orienta- tion, work-avoidance orientation, which is aimed at effort reduction and stems mainly from students' perceptions that studying is a useless or uninteresting activity.Mastery orientation has been associated with adaptive behavior, such as the self- regulation of learning and the use of deep processin g st ra t egi es (Di seth , 2011; Somuncuoglu, Yildirim, 1999). Performance- avoidance and work-avoidance orientations have consistently been associated with mal- adaptive patterns of behavior, like self-handi- capping behaviors (Urdan, 2004; Urdan, Midgley, 2001). The evidence for the conse- quences of performance-approach goals has not been as consistent. In their review, Wigfield and Cambria (2010) pointed out that inconsistency in findings might be partly due to methodological confounding of perfor- mance approach and avoidance goals. They also concluded that the approach aspect of the performance goals has been positively related to a number of favorable variables. Nevertheless, it has been also frequently re- lated to surface processing learning strate- gies (Niemivirta, 1996; Simons, Dewitte, Lens, 2004).Personal achievement goals adopted by students reflect not only their intrinsic be- liefs and values but also goal orientations pursued by their near socio-cultural envi- ronment that could be either mastery-ori- ented, emphasizing effort, learning and un- derstanding or performance-oriented, em- phasizing competition for grades and so- cial comparisons. Despite the fact that most of the messages in the classroom stem from teacher practices, thus reflecting the goals emphasized by the teacher(s) (teacher goals), classroom goal structures usually reflect broader conceptualization by referring to perceptions of the purposes for engaging in academic work that are emphasized in the classroom by studen ts (Midgley et al., 2000). In most of the studies, classroom goal structures are viewed as precursors of stu- dents' personal goal orientations, which have a more proximal influence on students' motivation, strategy use, and achievement (Murayama, Elliot, 2009; Urdan, 2004). …

The roles of perceived parental expectation and criticism in adolescents’ multidimensional perfectionism and achievement goals

Perfectionism consists of personal predispositions and attitudes toward performance. Although there is some disagreement in the field regarding how to best define and measure perfectionism, most studies have supported a distinction between adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism. The current study examines a model in which students’ perceptions of parents’ standards and criticism are proposed as antecedents of multidimensional perfectionism, which in turn are hypothesised to be associated with types of academic achievement goal orientations. The sample consisted of 256 high school students who completed questionnaires assessing adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism, perceptions of their parents and personal achievement goals. Structural equation modelling supported the hypotheses suggesting that high parental standards are positively associated with the adaptive perfectionist characteristic of self-organised perception, which in turn are associated with a mastery goal orientation. Parental criticism predicted the maladaptive perfectionist characteristic of concern over mistakes, which in turn was found associated with a performance-avoidance goal orientation.

Student perceptions of the classroom environment: Relations to motivation and achievement in mathematics

This study examined the relationship of 979 middle school students’ perceptions of their mathematics classroom environment to their motivation and achievement. Structural equation modeling indicated that motivational variables (utility, personal achievement goals, efficacy) mediated the influence of perceived teacher expectations, teacher support and use of reform practices on mathematics standardised test scores. Our study provides empirical evidence that students’ perceptions that their teachers believe that they are capable of learning and understanding mathematics positively relate to their Mastery and Performance Goal orientations and mathematics Utility. Further, we found an interaction between students’ perceptions of the frequency of reform practice use in their mathematics classroom and mathematics efficacy. For students with lower mathematics efficacy, their perceptions of more frequent use of reform practices in their mathematics class related to higher standardised test performance. For students with higher mathematics efficacy, perceived use of reform practices did not significantly relate to standardised test performance. These data suggest that frequent exposure to reform practices is especially critical for students who judge themselves as being less capable in mathematics and who are lower performers. This finding differs from prior research that has suggested that reform practice use benefits higher achievers but not lower achievers. An important implication of our study is the need for coordinated, ongoing professional development that highlights reform pedagogy and beliefs while also focusing on student motivation theories and strategies.

The Interactive Effects of Personal Achievement Goals and Performance Feedback in an Undergraduate Science Class

The authors explored whether manipulating feedback influenced cognition, motivation, and achievement in an undergraduate chemistry course. They measured students’ (N = 250) achievement goals, test anxiety, self-efficacy, and metacognitive strategy use at the beginning and end of the semester. After completing the first set of questionnaires, students were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 conditions: (a) control, (b) mastery feedback, (c) performance-approach feedback, and (d) combined mastery/performance-approach feedback. In each condition, students received a raw performance score for each weekly quiz they completed online and, for the treatment conditions, additional feedback reflective of that specific feedback condition. Results provide evidence for the multiple goals perspective (specialized pattern) wherein performance-oriented feedback was beneficial for some outcomes, whereas mastery feedback was beneficial for other outcomes.

Supporting recovery in a third sector alternative to psychiatric hospital admission: evaluation of routinely collected outcome data

Purpose – To evaluate the impact of crisis house admission in terms of mental health recovery and achievement of personal goals for people using the service. Design/methodology/approach – Mental Health Recovery Star (Recovery Star) and Personal Goal Scoring data were collected at entry and exit points in routine practice as part of a bespoke support planning process from 722 adults using one of three Rethink Mental Illness Crisis Houses. The adults had mental illness diagnoses including depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, personality disorder, and anxiety disorder. Findings – There were significant increases in all ten Recovery Star domains, for example: managing mental health (up 2.11 points (1-10 scale)), identity and self-esteem (up 1.56 points), trust and hope (up 1.48 points), and self-care (up 1.35 points). The analysis of Personal Goal Scoring data (scored on 1-10 scale) showed significant increases on how close people were to achieving their goals. For all goals listed there was an average increase of 2.5 point from 3 to 5.5, showing that people made progress during their stay in the service. Practical implications – Services provided by the third sector may offer an important contribution to support people's recovery and prevent admission to psychiatric hospital. Originality/value – The findings of the evaluation study support a growing body of evidence regarding the effectiveness of services offering alternatives to admission, and they highlight the value of using recovery-oriented support planning and outcome capture tools in routine practice.

Program Director Perspectives on Athletic Training Student Motivation to Complete Their Professional Athletic Training Degrees

Context Student motivation has been linked to persistence until graduation for athletic training students. There is little research, however on ways athletic training programs (ATPs) foster student motivation. Objective To expand upon the existing literature regarding retention of students in ATPs, specifically examining the concept of student motivation to complete degree requirements from the perspective of the program director (PD). Design Qualitative study. Setting One-on-one telephone interviews. Patients or Other Participants Eight PDs from professional master's and 16 PDs from undergraduate ATPs. Data Collection and Analysis We asked PDs to participate in a tape-recorded semistructured telephone interview. We analyzed data using a general inductive approach and secured credibility by utilizing member checks, multiple analyst triangulation, and peer review. Results Motivation for degree completion, as evaluated by the PD, is fostered by internal motivation, program pride and continued tradition of program success, and accomplishment of the personal goal to become an athletic trainer. Conversely, 1 major theme, disinterest or dissatisfaction with a career in athletic training, evolved as a reason to not remain motivated to complete the degree requirements for athletic training. Conclusions Program directors reported that internal drive and the achievement of personal goals influence the persistence of students in their ATPs. Students are also motivated by the successes of previous students in the program and feel a responsibility to uphold the legacy.

Predicting teachers' achievement goals for teaching: The role of perceived school goal structure and teachers' sense of efficacy

The present study investigated contextual and personal factors associated with teachers' achievement goals for teaching. A total of 211 teachers completed an online survey. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that perceived school mastery goal structure and performance goal structure predicted teachers' mastery goals and performance-approach goals, respectively. Teachers' sense of efficacy moderated the effect of perceived school goal structures on achievement goals for teaching. Teachers with high teaching efficacy maintained personal achievement goals for teaching even when their schools emphasized conflicting goals. However, teachers with low teaching efficacy tended to assimilate the goals promoted by their schools.

Winning or not winning: the influence on coach-athlete relationships and goal achievement

Trocado, R. & Gomes, A.R. (2013). Winning or Not Winning: The influence on Coach-Athlete Relationships and Goal Achievement. J. Hum. Sport Exerc., 8(4), pp. 986-995. This study analyses the relation between sports success and athletes’ perception of coaches’ leadership, athletes’ satisfaction with coaches’ leadership, coach-athlete compatibility, and goal achievement. Sixty-six athletes who qualified for the final Division I play-offs of a professional volleyball championship were grouped into winning (n = 21) and nonwinning teams (n = 45). Leadership styles, satisfaction with leadership, coach-athlete compatibility, and goal achievement were evaluated. Analysis of variance with repeated-measures revealed that the winning teams evaluated their coaches’ vision, inspiration, technical instruction, positive feedback, and active management more positively than non-winning teams and that their satisfaction with coaches’ strategies increased over time. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated that the winning teams’ perceived achievement of personal and team goals was greater than that of the non-winning teams. Sports success was associated with athletes’ positive evaluation of coaches’ leadership, satisfaction with coaches’

Commentary: More or less satisfied?

Hazard RG, Spratt KF, McDonough CM, etal. Patient-centered evaluation of outcomes from rehabilitation for chronic disabling spinal disorders: the impact of personal goal achievement on patient satisfaction. Spine J 2012;12:1132-7 (in this issue).

Commentary: Is patient satisfaction a reasonable outcome measure?

Hazard RG, Spratt KF, McDonough CM, etal. Patient-centered evaluation of outcomes from rehabilitation for chronic disabling spinal disorders: the impact of personal goal achievement on patient satisfaction. Spine J 2012;12:1132-7 (in this issue).

Patient-centered evaluation of outcomes from rehabilitation for chronic disabling spinal disorders: the impact of personal goal achievement on patient satisfaction

The multiplicity of biopsychosocial and economic facets of chronic disabling back and/or neck pain complicates the treatment outcomes measurement. Our previous work showed that personal functional goal achievement contributed more toward patient satisfaction with the outcome than did traditional self-reports of pain and physical function or measured strength, flexibility, and endurance among functional restoration program (FRP) graduates with chronic disabling back and/or neck pain. The primary goal was to compare the impact on patient satisfaction of pain and functional goal achievement versus self-reports of pain and physical function. This was an observational study of all patients with chronic disabling back and/or neck pain completing an FRP between June 2008 and May2009. Before the treatment, participants recorded personal 3-month goals for pain, work, recreation, and activities of daily living. At least 3 months later, all graduates were sent a follow-up survey displaying the patient's pretreatment functional goals and eliciting the patient's assessment of functional goal achievement; current pain magnitude, "satisfaction with the overall results for your pain problem;" and responses to the Short Form-36v2 Physical Functioning subscale (PF-10). Pain goal achievement was calculated as the difference between the pretreatment pain goal and follow-up pain magnitude. Linear regression was used to evaluate the association between satisfaction and four variables (follow-up pain; PF-10; pain goal achievement; functional goal achievement), individually and then together in a full model. Of the 82 patients surveyed, 62 responded completely. Mean age was 44 years, with 48% female and 35% on worker's compensation. The model R(2) combining all four variables explained 0.6033 of the variance in satisfaction. Each variable by itself was significantly related to patient satisfaction at p<.001, but the overlap in association was large. The unique contributions (R(2)) to the variation in satisfaction were the following: functional goal achievement: 0.0471; PF-10 score: 0.0229; pain magnitude: 0.0178; and pain goal achievement: 0.0020. At least 3 months after the treatment, functional goal achievement had by far the greatest impact on patient satisfaction, followed by PF-10 score, pain magnitude, and, finally, pain goal achievement. Functional goal achievement has great potential as a tool for patient-centered treatment decision-making and outcomes measurement for people with chronic disabling back and/or neck pain and their health care providers.

Perceived structure and achievement goals as predictors of students' self-regulated learning and affect and the mediating role of competence need satisfaction

We investigated the extent to which perceived structure and personal achievement goals could explain students' effective learning strategies and affect-related experiences in a sample of Greek adolescent students (N=606; 45.4% males; mean age: M=15.05, SD=1.43). Having controlled for students' social desirability responses, we used multilevel analyses, and found that between-student (i.e., within class) differences in perceived structure related positively to learning strategies and positive affect and negatively to negative affect, with the relations being partially mediated by competence need satisfaction. In addition, we found between-student differences in the relations of mastery-approach, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance goals to the learning-strategy and affect outcomes. Moreover, at the between-class level, perceived structure related positively to learning strategies and positive affect, and negatively to depressive feelings. Finally, an interesting cross-level interaction between perceived structure and performance-avoidance goals for negative affect revealed that well-structured classrooms attenuated the positive, harmful relation between performance-avoidance goals and negative affect. These findings indicate the key role of structure and the endorsement of mastery-approach goals in the classroom.

Mobile Health Applications to Assist Patients with Diabetes: Lessons Learned and Design Implications

Self-management is critical to achieving diabetes treatment goals. Mobile phones and Bluetooth® can supportself-management and lifestyle changes for chronic diseases such as diabetes. A mobile health (mHealth) research platform--the Few Touch Application (FTA)--is a tool designed to support the self-management of diabetes. The FTA consists of a mobile phone-based diabetes diary, which can be updated both manually from user input and automatically by wireless data transfer, and which provides personalized decision support for the achievement of personal health goals. Studies and applications (apps) based on FTAs have included: (1) automatic transfer of blood glucose (BG) data; (2) short message service (SMS)-based education for type 1diabetes (T1DM); (3) a diabetes diary for type 2 diabetes (T2DM); (4) integrating a patient diabetes diary with health care (HC) providers; (5) a diabetes diary for T1DM; (6) a food picture diary for T1DM; (7) physical activity monitoring for T2DM; (8) nutrition information for T2DM; (9) context sensitivity in mobile self-help tools; and (10) modeling of BG using mobile phones. We have analyzed the performance of these 10 FTA-based apps to identify lessons for designing the most effective mHealth apps. From each of the 10 apps of FTA, respectively, we conclude: (1) automatic BG data transfer is easy to use and provides reassurance; (2) SMS-based education facilitates parent-child communication in T1DM; (3) the T2DM mobile phone diary encourages reflection; (4) the mobile phone diary enhances discussion between patients and HC professionals; (5) the T1DM mobile phone diary is useful and motivational; (6) the T1DM mobile phone picture diary is useful in identifying treatment obstacles; (7) the step counter with automatic data transfer promotes motivation and increases physical activity in T2DM; (8) food information on a phone for T2DM should not be at a detailed level; (9) context sensitivity has good prospects and is possible to implement on today's phones; and (10) BG modeling on mobile phones is promising for motivated T1DM users. We expect that the following elements will be important in future FTA designs: (A) automatic data transfer when possible; (B) motivational and visual user interfaces; (C) apps with considerable health benefits in relation to the effort required; (D) dynamic usage, e.g., both personal and together with HC personnel, long-/short-term perspective; and (E) inclusion of context sensitivity in apps. We conclude that mHealth apps will empower patients to take a more active role in managing their own health.

Personal goals as predictors of intended classroom goals: Comparing elementary and secondary school pre‐service teachers

The literature documents fewer classroom mastery goal structures in secondary school compared to elementary. However, little is known about how personal achievement goals may influence classroom goal structures. This is especially true at the level of pre-service teachers. Our objective was to investigate if pre-service teachers' personal goals predicted their intended classroom goal structures. Participants were 125 elementary and 175 secondary school pre-service teachers from two Western Canadian universities. Structural equation modelling was used to examine if the structural relationships and latent means of personal and intended classroom goal structures differed for elementary and secondary school pre-service teachers. The results revealed that personal goals predicted the goal structures that pre-service teachers intended to establish; however, the relationships and means differed between elementary and secondary school pre-service teachers. Specifically, personal mastery-approach goals positively predicted classroom mastery goals much more strongly at the elementary than the secondary level. Furthermore, elementary pre-service teachers had significantly higher latent mean scores on personal mastery-approach goals than their secondary counterparts. It seems possible that the currently documented differences between classroom goal structures noted for elementary compared to secondary school may be based on the personal goals endorsed as pre-service teachers. The results are further discussed in terms of alignment with research on practising teachers' personal and classroom goals and implications for teacher education.

Outdoor adventure for young people with a mental illness

The study aims to evaluate the efficacy of an Outdoor Adventure Group (OAG) for young people with a mental illness. It was hypothesized that participating in OAG would result in an increase in self-esteem, sense of mastery and social connectedness, compared with those who attended other Psychosocial Recovery Group Program groups based at Orygen Youth Health. In addition, those in the OAG would show an improved performance of personal goals. Twenty-one youths (aged 15 to 25) participated in the OAG and 12 participated in other Psychosocial Recovery Group Program groups and served as the comparison group. Pre- and post-evaluation measures included (i) Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale; (ii) Mastery Scale; (iii) Social Connectedness Scale; and (iv) personal goals for attending the OAG, rated 1-10 on current performance. The groups were based at Orygen Youth Health, Melbourne, Australia and run over an 8 to 10-week period. Participants of the OAG experienced an improvement in self-esteem (P = 0.001) and mastery (P = 0.001); these changes were not observed in the controls. There were a total of 80 personal goals for the OAG, with an average of 3.81 per person, and performance significantly improved in 66 (82.5%) goals. There were 10 categories of goals; the most common goals were related to self-improvement and social skills development. Increased self-esteem and mastery, and achievement of personal goals gained through the OAG, may facilitate, or be a precursor to, a young person's psychosocial recovery.

Guided Autobiography's Developmental Exchange: What's in it for Me?

The developmental exchange is a central feature of social development, interpersonal dynamics, situated learning, and personal transformation. It is the enabling process in Guided Autobiography (GAB) settings that promotes the achievement of personal goals and group accomplishments. Nevertheless, these exchanges are embedded in the GAB structures of time, events, participants, themes, perspectives, medium, and quest for relevance. Ongoing research studies are gradually clarifying the actual, ideal, and social image of self as well as the processes, outcomes, and specific learning topics achieved during the GAB experience as they unfold through the listening, participating, and diversifying structures of the developmental exchange.

Competitive Swimmers' Perception of Motivational Climate and Their Personal Achievement Goals

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of perceived motivational climate with personal achievement goals in competitive youth swimmers. A total of 119 competitive swimmers (mean age = 14.76) participated in this study. Participants completed the Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire-2 and the Achievement Goal Questionnaire-S. Overall, swimmers perceived the motivational climate on their team to be more mastery-oriented than performance-oriented. Regression analyses indicated that a mastery-oriented motivational climate was a positive predictor of mastery-approach goals and a negative predictor of mastery-avoidance goals. Perception of a performance-oriented motivational climate was a positive predictor of performance-approach goals. In addition, mastery-approach goals were positively related to satisfaction and persistence and negatively related to practice avoidance while mastery avoidance goals were negatively related to satisfaction.