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On the Nature of Motivational Orientations: Implications of Assessed Goals and Gender Differences for Motivational Goal Theory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Jesús Alonso-Tapia ,
Juan A. Huertas  and
Miguel A. Ruiz
Jesús Alonso-Tapia*
Affiliation:
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain)
Juan A. Huertas
Affiliation:
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain)
Miguel A. Ruiz
Affiliation:
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jesús Alonso-Tapia. Facultad de Psicología. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. 28049 Madrid. (Spain). Phone: +34-914974598. Fax: +34-914975215. E-Mail: jesus.alonso@uam.es
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Abstract

In a historical revision of the achievement goal construct, Elliot (2005) recognized that there is little consensus on whether the term “goal” in “achievement goal orientations” (GO) is best represented as an “aim”, as an overarching orientation encompassing several “aims”, or as a combination of aims and other processes -self-regulation, etc.-. Elliot pointed also that goal theory research provides evidence for different models of GO. As there were no consensus on these issues, we decided to get evidence about the nature and structure of GO, about the role of gender differences in the configuration of such structure, and about relations between GO, expectancies, volitional processes and achievement. A total of 382 university students from different faculties of two public universities of Madrid (Spain) that voluntarily accepted to fill in a questionnaire that assessed different goals, expectancies and self-regulatory processes participated in the study. Scales reliability, confirmatory factor analyses, multiple-group analyses, and correlation and regression analyses were carried out. Results support the trichotomous model of GO, the consideration of GO as a combination of aims and other psychological processes, showed some gender differences and favour the adoption of a multiple goal perspective for explaining students' motivation.

En una revisión histórica del constructo “metas de logro”, Elliot (2005) reconocía que no hay consenso sobre si el término “meta” en la expresión “orientación a metas” (OM) debe concebirse como un “objetivo específico”, como un concepto que abarca varias metas, o como una combinación de metas y otros procesos –autorregulación, etc.-. Asimismo señalaba que la investigación sobre la “teoría de metas” apoya diferentes modelos de OM. Al no existir consenso sobre estos temas, decidimos obtener evidencia sobre la naturaleza y estructura de las OM, sobre el papel de las diferencias de género en la configuración de esta estructura, y sobre las relaciones entre OM, expectativas, procesos volitivos y logros académico. Un total de 382 estudiantes universitarios de diferentes facultades de dos universidades públicas de Madrid (España) que aceptaron voluntariamente completar un cuestionario que evaluaba metas, expectativas y procesos autorregulatorios participaron en el estudio. Se realizaron deferentes análisis: fiabilidad, factoriales confirmatorios, multigrupo y de regresión. Los resultados apoyaron el modelo tricotómico de OM, la consideración de las OM como combinación de metas y otros procesos psicológicos, la adopción de la perspectiva de “múltiples metas” para explicar la motivación de los estudiantes, y pusieron de manifiesto algunas diferencias de género.

Keywords

achievement goalsgoal orientationsmultiple goalsself-regulationgender differencesachievement predictionmetas de logroorientación a metasmúltiples metasdiferencias de géneropredicción del rendimiento
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 13 , Issue 1 , May 2010 , pp. 232 - 243
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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