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Prosocial motivation leads to better learning when mastery motivation is high: The synergistic effects of prosocial and mastery goals

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the synergistic effects of prosocial and mastery goals on learning-related outcomes including deep learning, self-regulated learning, and academic achievement. We recruited 8,773 secondary school students from Hong Kong to participate in the study. A longitudinal study design was used. Goals were measured at Time 1, while learning-related outcomes were measured at both Time 1 and 2. Structural equation modeling with latent interaction analysis was conducted. Results partially confirmed our synergistic effects hypothesis. Prosocial goals were associated with optimal learning-related outcomes such as deep learning and self-regulated learning only when mastery goals were also high. However, achievement was only predicted by mastery goals. These effects held despite controlling for the baseline variables. This study provides empirical evidence for the possible synergies between prosocial and mastery goals. A better understanding of student learning might be achieved when both mastery and prosocial motivation are examined.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China

    Ronnel B. King

  2. The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China

    Hui Wang & Dennis M. Mcinerney

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  1. Ronnel B. King
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  2. Hui Wang
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Correspondence to Hui Wang.

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The treatment of participants was in accordance with the ethical standards of APA and ethics approval has been received from the Education University of Hong Kong.

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We sincerely invite you to participate in the “Optimizing the Potential of Hong Kong Students” project. The purpose of this survey is to understand Hong Kong students’ motivation at school. This survey is completely anonymous. It will take you about 40 min to complete. There is no standard answer for each question. Please answer all questions according to your situation. Your answers will be kept STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. They will be combined with those of other students and the answers you give will not be identified individually. Your individual information will NOT be passed on to the school or any outside parties. Besides, you have every right to withdraw from the study anytime without penalty of any kind. Your participation is crucial to our research. Please answer ALL questions. Please put the completed survey into the envelope provided. Seal and return it to the collection box. We gratefully thank you for your cooperation and participation.

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King, R.B., Wang, H. & Mcinerney, D.M. Prosocial motivation leads to better learning when mastery motivation is high: The synergistic effects of prosocial and mastery goals. Curr Psychol 42, 10669–10682 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02331-0

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