Academically talented students vary in their reasons for achievement, variation that may provide insight into differences in achievement-related behaviors (e.g., effort and avoidance of challenge) and future underachievement. There were 425 students (at or above the 97th percentile) who completed questions assessing achievement goals and personal beliefs about intelligence. Students ranged widely in learning goals that focus on understanding material and performance goals that focus on doing better than others. As learning goals became stronger, so did beliefs that intelligence can increase via effort. Of all students, 4.4% embraced performance goals and had low confidence in their intellectual ability, a combination of beliefs that can place them at risk for later underachievement.
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