scholarly journals Testing the mastery-avoidance construct in achievement goal theory: a meta-analytic confirmatory factor analysis (MA-CFA) of two achievement goals scales

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Kamden K. Strunk ◽  
Wilson S. Lester ◽  
Forrest C. Lane ◽  
Payton D. Hoover ◽  
Jasmine S. Betties
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamden K Strunk ◽  
Wilson Lester ◽  
Forrest Lane ◽  
Payton Hoover ◽  
Jasmine Betties

Achievement goal theory is a popular theoretical framework that has been widely used to understand the goals students hold regarding their academic work. This theoretical model has been subject to an ongoing debate regarding the number and nature of constructs it includes. Notable in such debates has been the inclusion or exclusion of mastery-avoidance goals. The purpose of this study was to conduct meta-analytic confirmatory factor analyses (MA-CFA) on two popular achievement goal measures, the Achievement Goal Questionnaire-Revised (AGQ-R) and the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scales (PALS) achievement goals scales, to analyze the structure of these scales across published studies. The models were a better fit for the data without mastery-avoidance, and overall the data suggest researchers should consider excluding mastery-avoidance.


2001 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren C. Treasure ◽  
Joan L. Duda ◽  
Howard K. Hall ◽  
Glyn C. Roberts ◽  
Carol Ames ◽  
...  

In a recent article, Harwood, Hardy, and Swain (2000) presented what they termed a critical analysis of the conceptualization and measurement of achievement goals in sport. The purpose of the present article is to challenge their interpretation of achievement goal theory and to question many of their subsequent recommendations. Specifically, the present response will focus on Harwood et al.’s (a) interpretation of Nicholls’ personal theories of achievement; (b) their contention that task involvement cannot exist in competitive sport; (c) the proposed tripartite conceptualization of goal involvement states; (d) their understanding of the relationship between the way an individual conceptualizes ability and the foundation of dispositional goal orientations; and (e) their criticisms of the way dispositional goal orientations have been measured in sport. Theoretical frameworks are always a work in progress. To this end, we concur with the spirit of Harwood et al.’s article which implies that our conceptual models should be continuously questioned, tested, and extended. However, we believe their interpretation and recommendations do little to enhance our conceptual understanding of achievement goal theory in sport.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamden K Strunk

The literature in achievement goals includes mixed results as to the factor structure of achievement goal measures, particularly the Achievement Goal Questionnaire, Revised (AGQ-R). In a sample of 1,496 undergraduate students (600 men, 891 women, 5 gender unreported; M age = 20.6 yr., SD = 3.2), the AGQ-R was subjected to an exploratory factor analysis that suggested three factors. Then, in a different sample of 1,125 undergraduate students (270 men, 750 women, 5 gender unreported; M age = 21.7 yr., SD = 5.4), the measure was subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis, in which a three-factor solution, again, showed the best fit to the observed data. The implications of these results for the measurement of achievement goals are discussed.


2014 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-38
Author(s):  
Christian Brandmo ◽  
Dijana Tiplic ◽  
Eyvind Elstad

This study investigates how the achievement goal theory and its measures can be utilized to understand the school principals’ achievement goals for leading. The achievement goal theory is an analytical tool little used when studying educational management. This explorative study aims at developing a measure of principals’ achievement goals for leading, by using a factor analysis of the scores of 270 Norwegian principals. The analysis shows a clear distinction between principals’ mastery and performance goals for leading. Mastery goals for leading were positively correlated with constructs such as principals’ efficacy beliefs for leading, autonomy and teacher-principal trust, while performance goals were weaker or not significantly correlated with these constructs. The study suggests that the context and organizational factors are influencing principals’ purposes of achievement behaviour. Given the increasing emphasis on the accountability of school leaders, the current study suggests the achievement goal theory as a fruitful approach when studying educational leadership. Key words: accountability, achievement goals, educational leadership, school leaders’ motivation.


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