Abstract

PEIXOTO, Francisco et al. “To learn, or to be the best?”: Achievement goal profiles in pre-adolescents. Aná. Psicológica [online]. 2017, vol.35, n.4, pp.499-511. ISSN 0870-8231.  https://doi.org/10.14417/ap.1182.

This study aimed to examine the achievement goal orientation profiles of 5^th and 7^th grade students and the profile differences in academic achievement and anxiety. Participants were 1652 Portuguese students who responded to the Achievement Goals Scale and the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire. Based on a person-centered approach, cluster analysis identified six groups of students with distinct motivational profiles: task oriented, ego oriented, success oriented, disengaged, self-defeating oriented and diffuse. The largest number of participants were in the diffuse oriented group. In terms of the gender composition of clusters, differences manifested in the groups of disengaged and self-defeating orientations, with boys predominating in the former and girls in the latter. In age, the success oriented students group was in the majority composed of younger students and older students were more likely to adopt disengaged orientations. Clusters also revealed different compositions when retention was taken into account, with students who had been retained being more represented in the disengaged and diffuse groups. Moreover results showed that goal orientation profiles had effects on academic achievement and anxiety: success oriented students achieved higher grades and students whose profiles are predominantly ego oriented (self-enhancement and self-defeating) express more class and test anxiety.

Keywords : Achievement goals; Academic achievement; Anxiety; Person-centered approach; Pre-adolescents.

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