Goal Orientation and Self-Regulated Learning in the College Classroom: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

Abstract

(from the chapter) Goal orientation theory predicts that adopting a mastery goal will facilitate self-regulated learning and that endorsement of relative ability goals or extrinsic goals will be negatively related to self-regulated learning. In this study, the authors examined 3 general questions: (1) What are the relations between 3 different goal orientations (mastery, extrinsic, and relative ability) and student self-regulation, motivation, affect, and performance? (2) Are there any interactions between the 3 goals and the various self-regulation, motivation, affect and performance outcomes? and (3) Are the relations found in response to questions 1 and 2 similar in both American and German samples? Ss were 69 US college students and 256 German university students. Ss were assessed at 3 time points during the course of a 15-wk semester. In general, the results suggest that for college students a mastery goal orientation is the most adaptive goal orientation to adopt in terms of self-efficacy, interest, strategy use, and performance. As predicted by normative goal theory, results suggest that adoption of a mastery goal orientation focused on learning and understanding the material is the most adaptive in terms of motivation, affect, self-regulation, and performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) (chapter)