The purpose of the present study was to compare and contrast goal orientations with regard to stress experienced under conditions of pressure. Participants were 54 college students who participated in the study in response to extra credit. The experimental manipulation involved solving a tangram puzzle within a specific, short time under pressure…

This quasi-experimental study used a repeated measures design to examine the effects of three manipulated classroom goal structures (i.e. mastery, performance-approach, performance-avoidance) on grammar achievement, perceived autonomy support, flow experience, and affect for 49 Greek elementary school students (ages 11-12; 48% girls). Over a…

The purpose of the present study was to examine the hypothesis that a nonlinear relationship exists between a performance-classroom climate and the reading achievement of adolescent students with learning disabilities (LD). Participants were 62 students with LD (Grades 5-9) from public elementary schools in northern Greece. Classroom climate was…

The focus of this study is on the role of achievement goals in students' persistence. The authors administered 5 puzzles to 96 college students: 4 unsolvable and 1 relatively easy (acting as a hope probe). They examined whether and how persistence may deteriorate as a function of failing the puzzles, as well as whether and how persistence may…

In two cross-sectional studies, we investigated to what extent elementary (Study 1) and middle school (Study 2) students pursue similar, yet distinct, mastery-related and performance-related goals in physical education. We found that students were more likely to endorse outcome goals in conjunction with mastery-related goals and ability goals in…

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the regulation of goal orientations and strong "oughts" in students with learning disabilities (LD). Participants were 132 Greek students with state-identified LD using the achievement-discrepancy criterion, and 538 typical students. The first hypothesis tested was that feeling obliged to…

Research in goal theory has often relied on the general linear model, ignoring some central assumptions of the theoretical framework under investigation. The purpose of the two studies reported here was to illustrate how the Rasch model can supplement traditional statistical analyses when evaluating the effects of goal orientations on persistence.…

This study compared the motivational determinants of 258 low and high elementary grade readers in Greece within the framework of planned behavior theory. Low performing readers exhibited significantly lower perceptions of goal importance, intention to achieve, belief strength, outcome evaluation, and normative beliefs. The planned behavior model…

The purpose of the present study was to broaden planned behavior theory and examine its applicability to predict the academic achievement of students of low and high spelling ability. Two hundred fifty seven students, 54 low spellers and 203 high spellers from thirty elementary schools in northern Greece, participated in the study. Between groups…

Two studies evaluated the contribution of goal orientation--over and above the constructs of planned behavior theory--in explaining the relationship between attitudes, motivation, and academic achievement for students with and without learning disabilities. Results indicated that a performance-approach orientation exerted significant positive…

The purpose of the present study was to examine the presence of helplessness in students with learning difficulties (LD), and evaluate the role of goal orientations as antecedents of helplessness, negative affect, and psychopathology. Following induction of failure, results suggested that students with LD displayed increased negative affectivity,…

A study compared motivational determinants of 22 students at-risk for language difficulties (in reading and spelling) and students with high language skills. The at-risk students exhibited significantly lower perceptions of goal importance, intention to achieve, belief strength, outcome evaluation, and normative beliefs, and eventually scored…