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Perceptions of parent goals and their contribution to student achievement goal orientation and engagement in the classroom: Grade-level differences across adolescence

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Abstract

The aim of this study was twofold: (a) to examine student perceptions of their parent goals and their achievement goal orientations across adolescence, and (b) to examine how perceived parent goals relate to student achievement goal orientations, and engagement in the classroom (both emotional and behavioral) from early to late adolescence. A set of self-report questionnaires measuring the above variables was administered to three age groups of male and female students attending 7th (N=139), 9th (N=149), and 11th grade (N=138). Regarding the first aim of the study, results indicated that 9th and 11th graders scored lower than 7th graders on all student goal orientation scales as well as on the perceived parent performance goal scale. Regarding the second aim, multi-sample path analyses showed that the pattern of relationships among the variables under examination was different for the three grade levels. The significant and non-significant paths among the variables are discussed for each grade level. Implications of the above results for parents as well as for future research are pointed out.

Résumé

Le but de cette étude était double: (a) examiner les perceptions des étudiants des buts de leurs parents et leur orientation de but d’accomplissement à travers l’adolescence, et (b) examiner comment les buts des parents perçus se relient aux orientations des buts d’accomplissement des étudiants, et de leur enclenchement dans la salle de classe (émotif et comportemental) à partir du debut jusc à la fin d’adolescence. Un ensemble de questionnaires d’auto-report mesurant les variables ci-dessus a été administré à trois catégories d’âge d’étudiants masculins et féminins s’occupant de la lère (N=139). 3ème (N=149), et 5ème du Secondaire (N=138). Concernant le premier but de l’étude, les résultats ont indiqué que les étudiants de la 3ème et 5ème ont marqué plus bas que les étudiants de la lère sur toutes les échelles d’orientation de but d’étudiant, comme sur l’échelle de but de performance perçue par les parents. Concernant le deuxième but, les analyses de chemin d’multi-échantillon ont prouvé que le modèle des rapports parmi les variables à l’examen était différent pour les trois niveaux de Secondaire. Les chemins significatifs et non-significatifs parmi les variables sont discutés pour chaque niveau de scolarité. Des implications des résultats ci-dessus pour des parents aussi bien que pour la future recherche sont précisées.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54 124, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Eleftheria N. Gonida, Grigoris Kiosseoglou & Katerina Voulala

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  1. Eleftheria N. Gonida
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  2. Grigoris Kiosseoglou
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Gonida, E.N., Kiosseoglou, G. & Voulala, K. Perceptions of parent goals and their contribution to student achievement goal orientation and engagement in the classroom: Grade-level differences across adolescence. Eur J Psychol Educ 22, 23–39 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03173687

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