Hostname: page-component-89b8bd64d-b5k59 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-05-07T12:49:55.949Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Academic Goals and Learning Quality in Higher Education Students

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Antonio Valle ,
José C. Núñez ,
Ramón G. Cabanach ,
Julio A. González-Pienda ,
Susana Rodríguez ,
Pedro Rosário ,
María A. Muñoz-Cadavid  and
Rebeca Cerezo
Antonio Valle*
Affiliation:
Universidad de A Coruña (Spain)
José C. Núñez
Affiliation:
Universidad de Oviedo (Spain)
Ramón G. Cabanach
Affiliation:
Universidad de A Coruña (Spain)
Julio A. González-Pienda
Affiliation:
Universidad de Oviedo (Spain)
Susana Rodríguez
Affiliation:
Universidad de A Coruña (Spain)
Pedro Rosário
Affiliation:
Universidade do Minho (Portugal)
María A. Muñoz-Cadavid
Affiliation:
Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (Spain)
Rebeca Cerezo
Affiliation:
Universidad de Oviedo (Spain)
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Antonio Valle, Departamento de Psicología Evolutiva y de la Educación, Universidad de A Coruña, Campus de Elviña s/n, 15071 A Coruña, Spain. E-mail: vallar@udc.es
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In this paper, the relations between academic goals and various indicators that define the quality of the learning process are analyzed. The purpose was to determine to what extent high, moderate, or low levels of academic goals were positively or negatively related to effort regulation, the value assigned to academic tasks, meta-cognitive self-regulation, self-efficacy, beliefs about learning control, and management of time and study environment. The investigation was carried out with a sample of 632 university students (70% female and 30% male) and mean age of 21.22 (SD=2.2).The results show that learning goals, or task orientation, are positively related to all the indictors of learning quality considered herein. Although for other kinds of goals—work-avoidance goals, performance-approach goals, and performance-avoidance goals—significant relations were not found with all the indicators, there was a similar tendency of significant results in all cases; the higher the levels of these goals, the lower the levels of the indicators of learning quality.

En este trabajo se analizan las relaciones de las metas académicas con varios indicadores que definen la calidad del proceso de aprendizaje. Se trata de comprobar hasta qué punto el tener niveles altos, moderados o bajos en las metas académicas se relaciona positiva o negativamente en la regulación del esfuerzo, en el valor asignado a las tareas académicas, en la autorregulación metacognitiva, en la autoeficacia, en las creencias de control y en la gestión del tiempo y ambiente de estudio. La investigación se llevó a cabo con una muestra de 632 estudiantes universitarios (70% mujeres y 30% hombres) con una edad media de 21.22 (SD=2.2). Los resultados encontrados demuestran que las learning goals, o de aproximación a la tarea, se encuentran relacionadas positivamente con todos los indicadores de calidad del aprendizaje contemplados. En los otros tipos de metas —work-avoidance goals, performance-approach goals and performance-avoidance goals—, aún no habiendo una relación significativa con todos los indicadores, la tendencia de los resultados significativos es la misma en todos los casos, cuanto más altos son los niveles de estas metas, más bajos son los niveles indicadores de calidad del aprendizaje.

Keywords

academic goalslearning qualityhigher educationmetas académicascalidad del aprendizajeeducación superior

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 12 , Issue 1 , May 2009 , pp. 96 - 105
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Anderman, E. M., & Wolters, C. (2006). Goals, values and affects: Influences on student motivation. In Alexander, P. & Winne, P. (Eds.) Handbook of educational psychology (2nd ed.) (pp. 369–390). New York: Simon and Schuster.Google Scholar
Anderman, E. M., & Young, A. J. (1994). Motivation and strategy use in science: Individual differences and classroom effects. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 31, 811–831.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Archer, J. (1994). Achievement goals as a measure of motivation in university students. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 19, 430–446.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bandalos, D., Finney, S., & Geske, J. (2003). A model of statistics performance based on achievement goal theory. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 604–616.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barron, K. E., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2001). Achievement goals and optimal motivation: Testing multiple goals models. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 706–722.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brdar, I., Rijavec, M., & Loncaric, D. (2006). Goal orientations, coping with school failure and school achievement. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 21, 53–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dupeyrant, C., & Mariné, C. (2005). Implicit theories of intelligence, goal orientation, cognitive engagement, and achievement: A test of Dweck's model with returning to school adults. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 30, 43–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elliot, A. J. (1999). Approach and avoidance motivation and achievement goals. Educational Psychologist, 34, 169–189.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elliot, A. J. (2005). A conceptual history of the achievement goal construct. In Elliot, A. J. & Dweck, C. S. (Eds.), Handbook of competence and motivation (pp. 52–72). New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Elliot, A. J., & Church, M. A. (1997). A hierarchical model of approach and avoidance achievement motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 218–232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elliot, A. J., McGregor, H. A., & Gable, S. (1999). Achievement goals, study strategies, and exam performance: A mediational analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91, 549–563.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elliot, A. J., & Moller, A. C. (2003). Performance-approach goals: Good or bad forms of regulation? International Journal of Educational Research, 39, 339–356.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greene, B. A., DeBacker, T. K., Ravindran, B., & Krows, A. J. (1999). Goals, values, and beliefs as predictors of achievement and effort in high school mathematics classes. Sex Roles, 40, 421–458.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harackiewicz, J. M., Barron, K. E., Carter, S. M., Letho, A. T., & Elliot, A. J. (1997). Predictors and consequences of achievement goals in the college classroom: Maintaining interest and making the grade. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 1284–1295.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harackiewicz, J. M., Barron, K. E., & Elliot, A. J. (1998). Rethinking achievement goals: When are they adaptive for college students and why? Educational Psychologist, 33, 1–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harackiewicz, J. M., Barron, K. E., Pintrich, P. R., Elliot, A. J., & Thrash, T. (2002). Revision of achievement goal theory: Necessary and illuminating. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94, 638–645.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harackiewicz, J. M., Barron, K. E., Tauer, J. M., Carter, S. M., & Elliot, A. J. (2000). Short-term and long-term consequences of achievement goals: Predicting interest and performance over time. Journal of Educational Psychology, 92, 316–330.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaplan, A., & Maehr, M. L. (2007). The contributions and prospects of goal orientation theory. Educational Psychology Review, 19, 141–184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lens, W., & Vansteenkiste, M. (2008). Promoting self-regulated learning. A motivational analysis. In Schunk, D. H. & Zimmerman, B. J. (Eds.), Motivation and self-regulated learning. Theory, research, and applications (pp. 141–168). New York: LEA.Google Scholar
Meece, J. L., Anderman, E. M., & Anderman, L. H. (2006). Classroom goal structure, student motivation and academic achievement. Annual Review of Psychology, 57, 487–503.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meece, J.L., Glienke, B. B., & Burg, S. (2006). Gender and motivation. Journal of School Psychology, 44, 351–373.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meece, J. L., & Jones, G. (1996). Gender differences in motivation and strategy use in science: Are girls rote learners? Journal of Research on Science Teaching, 33, 407–431.3.0.CO;2-N>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Middleton, M., Kaplan, A., & Midgley, C. (2004). The change in middle school students' achievement goals in math over time. Social Psychology of Education 7, 289–311.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Middleton, M., & Midgley, C. (1997). Avoiding the demonstration of lack of ability: An unexplored aspect of goal theory. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 710–718.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Midgley, C., Kaplan, A., & Middleton, M. (2001). Performance-approach goals: Good for what, for whom, under what circumstances, and at what cost? Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 77–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nicholls, J. G., Pastashnick, M., & Nolen, S. B. (1985). Adolescents' theories of education. Journal of Educational Psychology, 76, 683–692.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paulsen, M. B., & Feldman, K. A. (2005). The conditional and interaction effects of epistemological beliefs on the self-regulated learning of college students: Motivational strategies. Research in Higher Education, 46, 731–768.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paulsen, M. B., & Feldman, K. A. (2007). The conditional and interaction effects of epistemological beliefs on the self-regulated learning of college students: Cognitive and behavioral strategies. Research in Higher Education, 48, 353–401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pintrich, P. R., Marx, R.W., & Boyle, R. (1993). Beyond ‘cold’ conceptual change: The role of motivational beliefs and classroom contextual factors in the process of conceptual change. Review of Educational Research, 63, 167–199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pintrich, P. R., Smith, D. A., Garcia, T., & McKeachie, W. J. (1991). A manual for the use of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Ann Arbor, MI, National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Teaching and Learning.Google Scholar
Rodríguez, S., Cabanach, R. G., Piñeiro, I., Valle, A., Núñez, J. C., & González-Pienda, J. A. (2001). Approach goals, avoidance goals and multiple academic goals. Psicothema, 13, 546–550.Google Scholar
Rosário, P., Mourão, R., Núñez, J.C., González-Pienda, J.A., & Solano, P. (2008). Storytelling as a promoter of Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) throughout schooling. In Valle, A., Núñez, J.C., Cabanach, R.G., González-Pienda, J.A., & Rodríguez, S. (Eds.), Handbook of instructional resources and their applications in the classroom (pp. 107–122). NY: Nova Science.Google Scholar
Rosário, P., Costa, M., Mourão, R., Núñez, J.C., González-Pienda, J.A. & Valle, A. (2007). Procrastination, SRL and Math achievement. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 11, 4, 23–28.Google Scholar
Skaalvik, E. (1997). Self-enhancing and self-defeating ego orientation: Relations with task and avoidance orientation, achievement, self-perceptions, and anxiety. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89 71–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thorkildsen, T. A. & Nicholls, J. G. (1998). Fifth-graders' achievement orientations and beliefs: Individual and classroom differences. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90, 179–201.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Utman, C. (1997). Performance effects of motivational state: A meta-analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 1, 170–182.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Valle, A., Cabanach, R. G., Rodríguez, S., Núñez, J. C., & González-Pienda, J. A. (2006). Academic goals, cognitive and self-regulatory strategies. Psicothema, 18, 166–170.Google ScholarPubMed
Valle, A., Cabanach, R.G., Rodríguez, S., Núñez, J.C., González-Pienda, J.A., Solano, P., & Rosário, P. (2007). A motivational perspective on the self-regulated learning in higher education. In Richards, P.B. (Ed.), Global issues in higher education (pp. 99–125). New York: Nova Science Publishers.Google Scholar
Wolters, C. (2004). Advancing achievement goal theory: Using goal structures and goal orientations to predict students' motivation, cognition, and achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96, 236–250.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wolters, C. A., Yu, S. L., & Pintrich, P. R. (1996). The relation between goal orientation and students' motivational beliefs and self-regulated learning. Learning and Individual Differences, 8, 211–238.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zimmerman, B. J. (2008). Goal setting: A key proactive source of academic self-regulation. In Schunk, D. H. & Zimmerman, B. J. (Eds.), Motivation and self-regulated learning. Theory, research, and applications (pp. 141–168). New York: LEA.Google Scholar
Zimmerman, B. J., & Schunk, D. H. (2008). Motivation. An essential dimension of self-regulated learning. In Schunk, D. H. & Zimmerman, B. J. (Eds.), Motivation and self-regulated learning. Theory, research, and applications (pp. 141–168). New York: LEA.Google Scholar