Achievement Goal Orientations of Community College Mathematics Students and the Misalignment of Instructor Perceptions

Abstract

This study reports on the results of a survey of achievement goal orientations administered to a sample of 777 students enrolled in remedial and college-level mathematics courses at a community college. Results indicate that students’ achievement goal orientations are consistent with adaptive learning patterns: Students are interested in developing competence, expect and believe they can handle challenging work, avoid self-handicapping behaviors, and exhibit a positive mathematics self-concept. However, interviews with faculty members teaching the courses in which the students were enrolled revealed that instructors had a more negative perspective. This discrepancy suggests that instructors might not be taking advantage of the high confidence and motivation to learn that their students bring to the mathematics classroom.

Keywords

achievement goal orientations mastery goals performance goals academic self-efficacy academic pressure self-handicapping behaviors mathematical self-concept remedial mathematics mathematics instruction faculty perceptions

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