Emphasis on classroom social goals affects psychological reactance and intention to share the goals

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of emphasis on classroom social goals (compliance goals vs. prosocial goals) on psychological reactance and intention to share the goals. Elementary school children (N = 139) participated in a questionnaire-based experiment. In the experiment, two hypothetical scenarios were presented in which hypothetical teachers emphasized classroom social goals (i.e., compliance goals, representing the minimum level of compliance with rules, versus prosocial goals, representing the ideal level of compliance with rules), and the participants were asked to rate their psychological reactance and intention to share the goal related to each condition. A within-participant t test revealed that compliance goals were higher in psychological reactance. Two-condition within-participant mediation analysis also revealed that compliance goals indirectly undermined the children's intention to share the goals, mediated by psychological reactance.