Taiwanese Sixth Graders’ Achievement Goals and Their Motivation, Strategy Use, and Grades: An Examination of the Multiple Goal Perspective

Using the trichotomous framework of achievement goals, in the present study I investigated the effects of different combinations of achievement goals on Taiwanese sixth graders’ motivation, strategy use, and performance. 242 students completed a self‐report survey assessing their achievement goal orientations and a range of outcomes including intrinsic motivation, self‐handicapping, and the use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies. I collected students’ grades from school records at the end of the semester. Results suggested that mastery goals were positively associated with Taiwanese students’ motivation, cognitive engagement, and grades, regardless of their level of performance‐approach orientation. Also, results validated the theoretical distinction within performance goals proposed by recently revised goal theory, that is, that performance‐approach and performance‐avoidance goals may lead to different consequences for motivation, cognition, and achievement. Specifically, performance‐approach goals were adaptive in terms of children’s use of cognitive strategies and their grades, whereas performance‐avoidance goals were related to students’ maladaptive motivation, namely, self‐handicapping. Implications for education and future research are discussed.