Learning Processes Implicit Theories, Goal Orientations, and Perceived Competence

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Learning ProcessesImplicit Theories, Goal
Orientations, and Perceived Competence

• Vicki Jurist, Chris Lombardo, Aqiyl Henry

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Research Question

• How do implicit theories of intelligence, goal
  orientations, and perceived competence affect
  academic achievement?

3
Introduction

• Prior studies have indicated that students
  beliefs about themselves and their academic
  competence affect classroom achievement.

4
Motivational Factors of Achievement Beliefs and
Learning

• Implicit theories of intelligence
• Academic goal orientations
• Perceived competence

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Implicit Theories of Intelligence

• Entity Theory
• Intelligence is fixed, and cannot be changed.
• Individual often avoids a difficult task in fear
  of looking incompetent.

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Implicit Theories of Intelligence

• Incremental Theory
• Intelligence is malleable can be increased and
  developed.
• Individual increases effort as a task becomes
  more difficult.

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Implicit Theories of Learning Incremental or
Entity

• Goal Orientation/Achievement Goals

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Goal Orientation

• Achievement Goals
• Task goals
• Performance-approach goals
• Performance-avoidance goals

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Task Goal

• Directed towards acquiring new skills and
  improving knowledge
• Leads to adaptive behaviors

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Performance-approach Goal

• Directed towards the demonstration of competence
• Leads to maladaptive behaviors

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Performance-avoidance Goal

• Aimed at avoiding the demonstration of
  incompetence
• Leads to maladaptive behaviors

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Differential Effects

• Performance
• Avoidance
• Goal

• Performance
• Approach
• Goal

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Perceived Competence

• Motivational construct linked to implicit
  theories of intelligence and achievement goals
• Confidence in ability adaptive behavior
• (task performance-approach)
• Doubt in ability maladaptive behavior
• (performance-avoidance)

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Hypotheses

• (A) task, performance-approach, and
  performance-avoidance scales will factor
  separately
• (B) incremental theory will be positively
  correlated with task and performance-approach
  goal orientations and negatively with
  performance-avoidance goal orientation

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Hypotheses

• (C) incremental theory and approach goal
  orientations (task and performance-approach)
  would be positive predictors of academic
  achievement.
• (D) perceived competence would moderate the
  relationship between implicit theories, goal
  orientations and academic achievement.

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Methods
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Methods

• Participants
• 451 students from Northern Greece
• Middle class, white
• 10 13 years of age
• Working class / middle class
• 89 from 1st marriage families

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Methods

• Instruments
• Self-report measuring 4 items of implicit theory
  of intelligence
• 18 item inventory measuring three goal
  orientation
• 7 item subscale assessing students confidence in
  their own ability
• Academic performance measures

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Methods

• Procedure
• Administered during class hours
• Voluntary
• Responses confidential to the study team

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Independent and Dependent Variables
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Independent and Dependent Variables
Inc
Perceived Competence
Task
Performance Avoidance
Academic Achievement
Performance Approach
Gender
School Level
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Results
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Exploratory Factor Analysis

• Exploratory Factor Analysis
• Do determine if the 18 Item Inventory, which was
  tested in a specific cultural setting, could be
  externally valid, factor analysis was applied,
  using oblique rotation.

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Factor Analysis

• Factor analysis.
• Used to validate a scale.
• Used to select a subset of variables from a
  larger set.

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Oblique Rotation

• A category of rotation methods.
• used to make the output of data more
  understandable.

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Outliers

• Extreme numbers in an array of numbers that dont
  seem to fit with the body of numbers.

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Factor Loadings

• Factor loadings.
• The minimum loadings used, .45.

28
Internal Consistency

• Was determined by using Cronbach coefficient
  alpha.
• Invented by professor Cronbach, to determine
  error.

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Variable Correlations

• Pearson Product-Moment Analysis and Maximum
  Likelihood method, were used to identify the
  correlation and causality among the variables.

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Pearson Product-Moment Correlations

• Incremental views were positively related to task
  orientation (.16), and performance-approach goals
  (.12).
• Perceived competence was positively correlated to
  task orientation (.30) and performance-approach
  (.25), and negatively correlated to
  performance-avoidance goals (-.18).
• Academic achievement was positively correlated
  with perceived competence (.52), task (.23), and
  performance-approach (.17) goals, (p.284).

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Pearson Product-Moment Correlations
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Maximum Likelihood Method

• From correlations to causality.
• Multiple indexes of fit were used in evaluating
  the fit of the model.

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Variable CorrelationsMaximum Likelihood Method
Inc
.16
.26
Perceived Competence
Task
-.26
.47
Performance Avoidance
.27
.08
.11
-.15
Academic Achievement
.25
.24
Performance Approach
-.11
-.27
.16
-.18
Gender
-.35
-.33
School Level
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Variable Correlations
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Correlations- Goal Orientations

• Task orientation was positively correlated with
  performance-approach goals, at .27.
• Performance-approach and performance-avoidance
  were positively related at .24.

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Goal Orientations and Academic Achievement

• Perceived Competence mediated achievement goals
  effect on academic achievement.
• Task and performance-approach had a positive
  indirect effect on academic achievement
• Performance-avoidance goal orientation had
  negative indirect effect on achievement.

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Incremental Views,Gender, School Level and
Academic Achievement

• Incremental beliefs were positively correlated
  with task and performance goal orientation.
• Gender had a direct positive effect on academic
  achievement.
• School level had a direct negative effect on
  academic achievement.

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Discussion
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Purpose

• Differing effects of performance-approach and
  performance-avoidance goals on academic
  achievement.
• Identify relationships among variables.

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Hypothesis 1

• Task goal orientation, performance-approach and
  performance-avoidance scales will factor
  differently.

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Hypothesis 1 - Results

• Achievement goals did factor separately.
• Existence of two independent dimensions of
  performance goals.
• Possible for an individual to have a mixture of
  goals.

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Achievement Goals and School Level

• Elementary School students.
• Middle school students.
• Academic motivation and performance declines
  during early adolescence.

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Incremental Views and School Level

• Elementary students tended to adopt incremental
  views (intelligence is modifiable).
• High School students tended to adopt an entity
  view ( intelligence is fixed).

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Hypothesis 2

• Incremental views will be positively correlated
  with task and performance-approach goals
  orientations and negatively with
  performance-avoidance goal orientation.

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Hypothesis 2 - Results

• Incremental views/beliefs positively correlated
  with task goal orientation. P. 287. Middle of the
  4th paragraph. (YES)
• No correlation between incremental views and
  performance-avoidance goals. (P. 287. Middle of
  the 4th paragraph.) This did not support
  hypothesized negative correlation. (YES)
• ? -No correlation between incremental views and
  performance-approach goals. (P. 287. Middle of
  the 4th paragraph.) (This did not support
  hypothesized positive correlation).

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Possible Contradiction

• No association (correlation) between incremental
  views and the two performance goal orientations
  (p.287 discussion, 4th parargraph).
• Incremental views were positively correlated with
  task and performance-approach goal orientations
  only (p.286, 2nd paragraph, last sentence).
• Figure 1(p.285), identified .16 correlation
  coefficient between task Inc. Task, and
  identified .11 correlation coefficient between
  Inc. Perf. Approach.

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Possible Contradiction

• Seemed like incremental views of intelligence was
  only being given correlation to task goal
  orientation in the Discussion section, which
  contradicted the data of the Results section, to
  support incremental beliefs were positively
  related to task orientation (Dweck, 1986) and the
  statement that the implicit belief that ability
  is increasable seemed to orient individuals
  toward pursuing the learning goal of developing
  that ability further( Gialamas Leondari, p.
  287).

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Possible Contradiction

• Then it was later stated
• ? - Implicit theories of intelligence are related
  to students achievement goals (only incremental
  views were tested) contradicts earlier
  statement.
• ? - Achievement goals task, performance-approach,
  and performance-avoidance goals, (p.279-280).

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Hypothesis 3

• Incremental theory and approach goal orientations
  (task and performance-approach) would be positive
  predictors of academic achievement.

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Hypothesis 3 Results

• No relation (correlation) between Inc. and
  academic achievement ( did not support
  hypothesized positive correlation).
• Did not support previous research.
• Reason Incremental views indirectly influence
  academic achievement through the adoption of a
  specific goal orientation
• Task and performance-approach were indirect
  positive predictors of academic achievement.

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Hypothesis 4

• Perceived competence would moderate the
  relationship between implicit theories, goal
  orientations and academic achievement.

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Hypothesis 4 - Results

• Did support perceived competence as a moderating
  variable between the task orientation,
  performance-approach and performance-avoidance,
  and academic achievement.
• Did not support perceived competence as a
  moderating variable between incremental views and
  academic achievement, as hypothesized. (There was
  no correlation between incremental views and
  academic achievement).

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Theories of Intelligence

• Using data indicating incremental views are
  positively correlated with task and
  performance-approach goals
• Theories of intelligence seem to predict a
  students goal orientation.
• Incremental views orient individuals to either
  task or performance-approach goals.

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Task Orientation

• Presumed to result in behaviors conducive to
  long-term accomplishment and investment.
• Personal mastery.
• Feeling of competence while engaged in
  achievement activities.

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Performance-approach goals and Task Orientation

• Results lead to the conclusion that
  performance-approach and task goal orientations
  facilitate academic achievement (supported by
  previous research).

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Performance-approach goals and Task Orientation

• Students need to pursue both task and performance
  goals if they are to succeed (Wentzel).
• Students do not have one or the other goal
  orientation, but both at the same time.

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Implications

• Classroom environments influence the adoption and
  reinforcement of goal orientations.
• Environments marked by interpersonal competition
  and normative-based testing influence the
  adoption of either performance-approach or
  performance-avoidance goals.
• Environments that emphasize acquiring personal
  mastery and learning from ones mistakes
  influence the adoption of task orientation, ex.
  Dr. Morans teaching environment.

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Implications

• Teachers can modify roles and instructional
  strategies to develop environments that encourage
  students to learn from mistakes, put more effort
  into learning, feel confident in academically
  challenging situations, and develop personal
  mastery.

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Limitations

• Longitudinal study needed, no casual links could
  be firmly established.
• Domain specificity was a concern. Different
  domains (i.e. self-esteem, phys. appearance,
  social athletic competence, cognitive ability)
  may effect theories of intelligence and goal
  orientations differently (adding confounding
  variable).

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Reactions
61
Reactions

• What kind of ideas did this article make you
  think about?
• How social relationship goals influence
  achievement goals.
• Development of classroom styles to foster task
  and performance-approach goals.
• Understand and cultivate students goal
  orientations.

62
Reactions

• Did you think this article was interesting? Was
  it well written?
• The complexity of the article initially impeded
  clarity.
• Professionally oriented.

63
Reactions

• What do you think are the next steps?
• Address entity theory more adequately
• Provide a more comprehensive discussion relating
  to task goals and incremental theory
• Allow for domain specificity of implicit theories
  and goal orientation
• Identify whether they recognized limits within
  their environment

64
Reactions

• What do you think are the next steps?
• Address entity theory more adequately
• Provide a more comprehensive discussion relating
  to task goals and incremental theory
• Allow for domain specificity of implicit theories
  and goal orientation
• Identify whether they recognized limits within
  their environment