The relationship between goal orientation and subject choice of a group of standard 7 pupils

Abstract

The aims of the study were: 1. to determine the different types of goal orientation and the interactive relationships between goal orientation, subject choice and academic achievement, from a literature review; 2. to empirically determine the relationship between goal orientation, subject choice and the achievement of standard 7 students; 3. to empirically determine the relationship between the goal orientation of standard 7 students and the school variables, and 4. to empirically determine the relationship between goal orientation and the age of standard 7 students. From the literature view it was evident that there are different orientations which influence subject choice and academic achievement. Students who are mastery/learning-oriented want to develop their competence, choose challenging tasks and perform better. Ego/performance oriented students are interested in demonstrating to others that they are capable, choose easy tasks and they do not perform as well. A strong relationship was also evident between goal orientation and the attributional style of students. Mastery-oriented students attribute their success to internal, stable variables like ability or effort (an unstable but controllable cause), and experience high levels of self-efficacy and pride. Ego-oriented students attribute both failure and success to stable but uncontrol1able causes (such as ability or teaching methods), and experience shame and decreased self-efficacy in the event of failure. A relationship was also evident between goal orientation and the school variables (such as the teacher's self-efficacy, experience and educational/training level). The empirical study led to the following conclusions: • there is no relationship between the goal orientation and subject choice of the students of this study, in both mathematics and history; • there is a relationship between the goal orientation and academic achievement of the students who were used in this study in mathematics, but not in history; • there is also a relationship between the goal orientation of the students of this study and the school variable, yet • there is no relationship between goal orientation and the age of the students who were used in this study.