Ramón González Cabanach

Multiple goals, motivation and academic learning

BACKGROUNDnThe type of academic goals pursued by students is one of the most important variables in motivational research in educational contexts. Although motivational theory and research have emphasised the somewhat exclusive nature of two types of goal orientation (learning goals versus performance goals), some studies (Meece, 1994; Seifert, 1995, 1996) have shown that the two kinds of goals are relatively complementary and that it is possible for students to have multiple goals simultaneously, which guarantees some flexibility to adapt more efficaciously to various contexts and learning situations.nnnAIMnThe principal aim of this study is to determine the academic goals pursued by university students and to analyse the differences in several very significant variables related to motivation and academic learning.nnnSAMPLEnParticipants were 609 university students (74% women and 26% men) who filled in several questionnaires about the variables under study.nnnMETHODnWe used cluster analysis (quick cluster analysis method) to establish the different groups or clusters of individuals as a function of the three types of goals (learning goals, performance goals, and social reinforcement goals). By means of MANOVA, we determined whether the groups or clusters identified were significantly different in the variables that are relevant to motivation and academic learning. Lastly, we performed ANOVA on the variables that revealed significant effects in the previous analysis.nnnRESULTSnUsing cluster analysis, three groups of students with different motivational orientations were identified: a group with predominance of performance goals (Group PG: n = 230), a group with predominance of multiple goals (Group MG: n = 238), and a group with predominance of learning goals (Group LG: n = 141).nnnCONCLUSIONSnGroups MG and LG attributed their success more to ability, they had higher perceived ability, they took task characteristics into account when planning which strategies to use in the learning process, they showed higher persistence, and used more deep learning strategies than did the students with predominance of performance goals (Group PG). On the other hand, Groups MG and PG took the evaluation criteria more into account when deciding which strategies to use in order to learn, and they attributed their failures more to luck than did Group LG. Students from Group MG attributed their success more to effort than did the other two groups and they attained higher achievement than Group PG. Group LG tended to attribute their failures more to lack of effort than did the other two groups.

Multiple-goal pursuit and its relation to cognitive, self-regulatory, and motivational strategies

BACKGROUNDnThe topic of academic goals has provided very important information about students motivation. Traditional research has described several mutually exclusive goals that elicit different motivational patterns. Nevertheless, goal-orientation research has reported the possibility that more than one goal may operate simultaneously.nnnAIMnThe purpose of this study was to characterise multiple-goal groups of students, who use various types of cognitive, self-regulatory, and motivational strategies.nnnSAMPLEnParticipants were 595 Spanish-speaking university students at the University of A Coruña.nnnMETHODnIn order to examine the relationships between goal orientations and strategies, a Pearson correlational analysis was performed. Then, a cluster analysis was performed to identify potential subgroups of students with more than one simultaneously operative goal. Finally, a one-way test was conducted to determine whether the multiple-goal clusters differed in any of the nine strategies.nnnRESULTSnOnly those students who reported high task orientation tended to exhibit more frequent use of cognitive and self-regulatory strategies. Nevertheless, this does not mean that learning processes are only optimised by task orientation. When multiple-goal adoption was considered, students who developed the most positive self-regulation were characterised by their focus on learning, but also by their desire to avoid being judged negatively by others.nnnCONCLUSIONSnStudents should not adopt only task goals, which are sometimes overvalued, but also other kinds of goals that allow them to manage their learning and make it more flexible in each situation. This aspect characterises self-regulated learning, which is defined not only by cognitive and behavioural regulation but also by motivational regulation.

Cognitive, Motivational, and Volitional Dimensions of Learning: An Empirical Test of a Hypothetical Model.

The principal aim of this research is to contrast empirically a hypothetical model developed on the basis of the fundamental assumptions of current self-regulated learning models. In line with evaluation criteria of model fit, a high rate of congruence between the hypothesized theoretical model and the empirical data was observed. Analysis of the effects between the variables of the model revealed the following relevant aspects: students predisposition to feel responsible for the results of their academic behavior (internal attribution) is related to positive self-image (academic self-concept), both being important conditions for development of learning-oriented motivation (learning goals). All of this involves selection and use of learning strategies for deep information processing (deep learning strategies), which leads students to assume responsibility with high levels of persistence, perseverance, and tenacity so as to achieve goals defined by the motivational orientation. This persistence and effort to achieve the proposed goals has in turn a positive and significant effect on academic achievement.

Academic Goals and Learning Quality in Higher Education Students

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.

Motivational profiles as a combination of academic goals in higher education

The aim of the current study was to obtain information from students in higher education on different motivational profiles that resulted from the combination of three academic goals (i.e. learning goals (LG), performance-approach goals and performance-avoidance goals). Moreover, information related to the relevance of each goal within each motivational profile was explored to explain conditions closely related to the academic engagement. The sample consisted of 2556 students from five Spanish universities. Motivational profiles were obtained by using cluster analysis followed by a relevance analysis of each goal within each motivational profile. The results support the hypothesis concerning motivational profiles, and further suggest for motivational profiles with a predominance of LG to be more adaptive. According to our findings, high level of LG in one’s motivational profile appear to be a powerful protective factor in maintaining high interest in academic work, as well as high control beliefs and self-efficacy.

Metas académicas y estrategias de aprendizaje en estudiantes universitarios

Tomando en cuenta que no existe concordancia en la literatura entre los resultados de diferentes estudios respecto de la relevancia de la adopcion de un tipo u otro de meta para el aprendizaje academico, en el presente articulo se estudia la relacion entre los diferentes tipos de orientaciones motivacionales (metas de aprendizaje, metas de rendimiento y metas de evitacion del trabajo) y el uso de estrategias cognitivas y de autorregulacion. En el trabajo participan 632 estudiantes universitarios de diversas titulaciones de la universidad espanola. Aunque el estudio es de tipo correlacional, los analisis de los datos obtenidos, corroborando estudios anteriores, aportan informacion de interes para la discusion del problema que se investigo, por ejemplo que solo los niveles mas altos de metas de aprendizaje se encuentran asociados con una mayor utilizacion de estrategias de aprendizaje. Son discutidas implicaciones educativas de estos datos.Assuming that there isnt much agreement among the results from different studies relating to the relevance of adopting one or another kind of academic learning goal, this paper intends to study the relationship between the several types of motivational orientations (learning goals, achievement goals and avoidance goals) and the use of cognitive and self-regulatory strategies. 632 Spanish college students from various university courses participated in this research. Although this is a correlacional study data analysis, in line with previous studies, brings to light interesting information and highlights the investigated issue for example only higher levels of learning goals are positively related with the use of learning strategies. Future educational implications are also discussed.

Metas acadêmicas e estratégias de aprendizagem em alunos universitários

Tomando en cuenta que no existe concordancia en la literatura entre los resultados de diferentes estudios respecto de la relevancia de la adopcion de un tipo u otro de meta para el aprendizaje academico, en el presente articulo se estudia la relacion entre los diferentes tipos de orientaciones motivacionales (metas de aprendizaje, metas de rendimiento y metas de evitacion del trabajo) y el uso de estrategias cognitivas y de autorregulacion. En el trabajo participan 632 estudiantes universitarios de diversas titulaciones de la universidad espanola. Aunque el estudio es de tipo correlacional, los analisis de los datos obtenidos, corroborando estudios anteriores, aportan informacion de interes para la discusion del problema que se investigo, por ejemplo que solo los niveles mas altos de metas de aprendizaje se encuentran asociados con una mayor utilizacion de estrategias de aprendizaje. Son discutidas implicaciones educativas de estos datos.Assuming that there isnt much agreement among the results from different studies relating to the relevance of adopting one or another kind of academic learning goal, this paper intends to study the relationship between the several types of motivational orientations (learning goals, achievement goals and avoidance goals) and the use of cognitive and self-regulatory strategies. 632 Spanish college students from various university courses participated in this research. Although this is a correlacional study data analysis, in line with previous studies, brings to light interesting information and highlights the investigated issue for example only higher levels of learning goals are positively related with the use of learning strategies. Future educational implications are also discussed.

Afrontamiento y regulación emocional en estudiantes de fisioterapia

This paper aims to identify different profiles of emotional regulation, and to see if they differ in academic stress coping strategies. The participants were 487 physiotherapy students (74% female) from different universities, aged between 18 and 40 years. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Cuestionario de Estrés Académico (CEA) were applied. A total of three emotional regulation profiles were obtained in the cluster analysis. The first one is composed of students with low emotional regulation, a second group with mixed results was obtained and a third cluster shows students with high emotional regulation. Statistically significant differences in all the coping strategies were found between the profiles of low and high emotional regulation. Ramón G. Cabanach, Antonio Souto-Gestal, Luz González Doniz, et al. | Universitas Psychologica | V. 17 | No. 2 | 2018 | 2

What and How Much Do Children Lose in Academic Settings Owing to Parental Separation

The literature has firmly established an association between parental separation and school failure. Nevertheless, parental separation does not affect academic aptitudes. Thus, mediators explain such relationship. A field study was designed to identify and quantify damage in the mediating variables between parental separation and school failure (i.e., external school adjustment, aversion to institution, aversion to learning, aversion to instruction, aversion to teachers, indiscipline). A total of 196 children, classified into three age cohorts: 109 in level 1 (from 8 to 11 years), 46 in level 2 (from 12 to 14 years), and 41 in level 3 (15 or more years), were assessed in school adjustment and in underlying dimensions of school (mal)adjustment. The results showed significant effects of parental separation in school adjustment and in the underlying dimensions to maladjustment in the three classification levels. The magnitude of damage increased with age, i.e., small in level 1, moderate in 2, and large in 3. Damage in all the sub-dimensions underlying school (mal)adjustment was quantified. The implications of the results for the design and implementation of prevention and intervention programs for children from separated parents are discussed.

College student's academic goals and learning strategies

Tomando en cuenta que no existe concordancia en la literatura entre los resultados de diferentes estudios respecto de la relevancia de la adopcion de un tipo u otro de meta para el aprendizaje academico, en el presente articulo se estudia la relacion entre los diferentes tipos de orientaciones motivacionales (metas de aprendizaje, metas de rendimiento y metas de evitacion del trabajo) y el uso de estrategias cognitivas y de autorregulacion. En el trabajo participan 632 estudiantes universitarios de diversas titulaciones de la universidad espanola. Aunque el estudio es de tipo correlacional, los analisis de los datos obtenidos, corroborando estudios anteriores, aportan informacion de interes para la discusion del problema que se investigo, por ejemplo que solo los niveles mas altos de metas de aprendizaje se encuentran asociados con una mayor utilizacion de estrategias de aprendizaje. Son discutidas implicaciones educativas de estos datos.Assuming that there isnt much agreement among the results from different studies relating to the relevance of adopting one or another kind of academic learning goal, this paper intends to study the relationship between the several types of motivational orientations (learning goals, achievement goals and avoidance goals) and the use of cognitive and self-regulatory strategies. 632 Spanish college students from various university courses participated in this research. Although this is a correlacional study data analysis, in line with previous studies, brings to light interesting information and highlights the investigated issue for example only higher levels of learning goals are positively related with the use of learning strategies. Future educational implications are also discussed.