Individual Differences Research

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Individual Differences Research > Volume 9, Issue 1 (2011) > 41-51

Achievement Goals, Volitional Regulation and Help-seeking among College Students: A Multiple Goal Analysis

Jared M. Bartels, Susan Magun-Jackson, Joseph J. Ryan

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between volitional strategies aimed at maintaining effort and persistence in academic tasks, help-seeking, and the achievement goals that students adopt. Specifically, we explored potential differences in volitional strategy use and help-seeking strategy use among mastery/performance achievement goal configurations for a university student sample (N = 141). Results indicated greater volitional regulation among a high mastery/high performance configuration (M = 5.08) relative to the high mastery/low performance (M = 4.59) and low mastery/low performance goal (M = 4.34) groups. The difference between the high mastery/high performance and low mastery/high performance group (M = 4.60) approached significance (p = .11). With respect to help-seeking, however, no significant differences emerged among the groups. The present results are interpreted in terms of a multiple goal perspective and the disparate hypothesis of normative and revised goal theory with respect to goal configurations.