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Motiv Emot (2010) 34:333353 DOI 10.1007/s11031-010-9188-3
ORIGINAL PAPER
Autonomous and controlled regulation of performance-approach goals: Their relations to perfectionism and educational outcomes
Maarten Vansteenkiste Stijn Smeets
Bart Soenens Willy Lens Lennia Matos
Edward L. Deci
Published online: 23 October 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010
Abstract The present research uses self-determination theory to examine whether autonomous and controlled regulation of performance-approach (PAp) goals would differentially predict educational outcomes and add to the variance explained by the goal strength. Two cross-sectional studies among 10th to 12th grade students supported this hypothesis but showed that when regulations of PAp goals were entered into the same regression equation with the PAp goal strength, the PAp goal strength no longer predicted outcomes. Study 2 examined perfectionism in relation to PAp goals and types of regulation, thereby showing that whereas adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism were both positively related to PAp goals, adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism were associated with autonomous and controlled regulations, respectively. Finally, path modeling indicated that autonomous and controlled regulations of PAp goals (but not PAp goals themselves) accounted for nearly all of the relation between the types of perfectionism and learning outcomes. The discussion emphasizes that it is critical to move
beyond the consideration of PAp goals per se, thereby
considering the types of regulation of PAp goals.
Keywords Performance-approach goals
Autonomous and controlled motivation
Achievement goal theory Self-determination theory
Some students like to perform well relative to their peers because trying to outperform others provides an enjoyable challenge to them. This goal of doing better than others may stimulate them to concentrate in the classroom, persist in the face of failure, and perhaps even achieve high grades. Other students feel pressured to score better than others, either because their parents, teachers, or other socializing gures pressure them to pursue this achievement goal or because self-worth concerns and perfectionist standards pressure them from within to pursue the goal.
A focus on obtaining higher grades than peers has been labeled a Performance Approach (PAp) goal (Elliot and Harackiewicz 1996) within the achievement goal literature (Elliot 2005; Kaplan and Maehr 2007). During the past few years, achievement goal researchers have been intensively debating whether and when the pursuit of PAp goals facilitates or detracts from self-regulated learning and achievement...