The Role of Social Goals in Academic Success: Recounting the Process of Conducting a Systematic Review

Abstract

Motivational theorists have long subscribed to the idea that human behavior is fundamentally driven by needs and goals. A goal perspective provides us with insights on the organization of affect, cognition, and behavior in specific contexts, and how these may change depending on different goals (Dweck 1992). The interest in goals is also prominent in the educational realm, which led to a boom of research with a focus on achievement goals (Kiefer and Ryan 2008; Mansfield 2012). Although this research provided significant insights into the role of moti- vation, it does not provide a holistic view of the goals pursued in academic con- texts. Students pursue multiple goals in the classroom (Lemos 1996; Mansfield 2009, 2010, 2012; Solmon 2006), all of which need to be considered to under- stand students’ motivations and behaviors. Many prominent researchers argue that social goals should be regarded with the same importance as achievement goals (e.g., Covington 2000; Dowson and McInerney 2001; Urdan and Maehr 1995), as they too have implications for academic adjustment and success. For