1st Edition
Goals, Goal Structures, and Patterns of Adaptive Learning
Achievement goal theory has emerged as one of the preeminent approaches to motivation. Goals, Goal Structures, and Patterns of Adaptive Learning presents the findings of a large scale, longitudinal study that use goal theory as the lens through which to examine the relation among achievement goals, the learning context, and students' and teachers' patterns of cognition, affect, and behavior. These results are integrated within the larger literature on goal theory, providing an overview of the research that has been conducted, as well as suggestions that goal theory researchers might want to consider.
Written by scholars who are well-known in the field, this book:
*provides a comprehensive summary of research related to achievement goal theory--one of the preeminent approaches to motivation today;
*presents a detailed overview of research conducted in conjunction with the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Study--a decade-long multi-faceted study employing both quantitative and qualitative methods. A description of the development, reliability, and validity of the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scales is included. These scales are being used by many researchers using achievement goal theory in this country and internationally;
*includes important information about the relevancy of achievement goal theory for an understanding of avoidance behaviors in schools;
*describes the relevancy of achievement goal theory for children who are disaffected from school and schooling; and
*points to the gaps in research on achievement goal theory, and provides guidance for future research in the field.
Biography
Carol Midgley
"...this book is extraordinarily stimulating for both the researcher who is interested in recent developments in goal theory and for practitioners who are looking for research-based strategies to improve the school as a learning environment. It is based on an impressive research project that takes into account the multilevel structure of the school environment without ever losing its theoretical focus...There is no doubt that this book will soon become a classic reference for researchers in the field-an honour that Carol Midgley's legacy certainly deserves."
—International Journal of Behavioral Development"...the chapters are well worth reading for what they teach us and for the questions they raise regarding future research and the implications for practice. A clear strength throughout is that the same theory-guided inquiry frames each chapter. In my view, this critical analysis is at the heart of the volume's contributions, and is of great use to researchers as a stimulus for further hypothesis generation."
—Contemporary Psychology