A research study on the relationships between student achievement goals, perception of contextual achievement goals and academic performance in Italian and Mathematics

Introduction: The study investigated the role of students’ and relevant adults’ achievement goals for academic performance in Italian and Mathematics. Taking into account class level and subject matter, the aims were to investigate the relationship (a) between students’ goals and students’ perception of teachers’ and parents’ goals, and (b) between these goals and achievement. Methods: The participants were 435 Italian students, aged 10, 13 and 17 years. They completed a questionnaire, related to Italian or Mathematics, evaluating students’ mastery goals (MG), performance approach goals (PAPG) and performance avoidance goals (PAVG); students’ perception of teachers’ MG, PAPG and PAVG; students’ perception of parents’ MG and performance goals (PG); achievement. Results: Regression analyses were run. As age increased, students had fewer goals and performance worsened. Students’ MG and achievement were higher in Italian, while students’ PAVG were higher in Mathematics. Teachers’ and parents’ MG positively predicted students’ MG; teachers’ PAVG and parents’ PG positively predicted students’ PAPG; teachers’ PAVG and parents’ PG positively predicted students’ PAVG. Finally, achievement was positively predicted by students’ MG, and negatively by teachers’ PAPG. Conclusions: With some differences related to class level, personal goals are linked to the perception of the same goals in relevant adults, such as teachers and parents, for both Italian and Mathematics. Finally, students’ mastery goals seem to play the strongest role in relation to achievement.