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Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 16, Issue 2, Article 1 (Dec., 2015) |
This study examined the relationship between seventh grade students’ achievement goals and their engagement in science. Results showed that seventh grade students’ mastery approach and avoidance goals significantly predicted their cognitive engagement in science. This finding indicated that students who study for the reasons of learning and mastering the course material (adopting mastery approach goals) and avoiding from misunderstanding or not mastering the task (adopting mastery avoidance goals) tend to use various cognitive and learning strategies to remember, organize, and understand the science topics at higher levels. There are many studies in the literature supporting these findings: Considerable research has shown that students who adopt task or mastery goals use greater learning strategies and self-regulation strategies than students who adopt performance goals (e.g., Miller et al., 1996; Nolen, 1988). For example, Greene, Miller, Crowson, Duke, and Akey (2004) reported that mastery goals were directly and positively linked to meaningful strategy use, while performance-approach goals were not. Similarly, Kahraman and Sungur (2011) found that students’ mastery approach goals significantly predicted their metacognitive strategy use in science classes, while avoidance goals and performance approach goals did not. Thus, consistent with relevant literature, current findings suggest that science teacher provide students with learning environments which encourage adoption of mastery goals, especially mastery approach goals. Actually, present study showed that mastery approach goals make stronger unique contribution to the explanation of cognitive engagement in science classes than mastery avoidance goals.
Current findings also revealed that seventh grade students who focus on learning, understanding, and self-improvement (mastery approach goals) are more likely to show positive affective reactions such as interest, and enjoyment in the science classes (emotional engagement). This finding concerning the relation between mastery approach goals and emotional engagement was as expected and confirms the results of previous research. For instance, Gonida et al. (2009) found that behavioral engagement and emotional engagement were predicted by student’s mastery goal orientation. These findings, overall, are consistent with Elliot’s (2006) proposition that students adopting mastery approach goals tend to experience positive feelings such as enjoyment.
This study also demonstrated that seventh grade students’ mastery approach goals significantly predicted their behavioral engagement in science, while other three goals failed to predict behavioral engagement. This finding implied that students who focus on self-improvement and mastering the task at hand are likely to show behaviors such as persistence, effort, and concentration in science classes. Actually, it is reasonable to find a positive association between mastery approach goals and behavioral engagement because students adopting mastery goals study for the reasons of learning and mastering the course material. According to ample research (Kaplan et al., 2002; Miller et al., 1996; Wolters, 2004), they are likely to persist in the face of difficulties and put greater effort forth using variety of strategies in order to achieve these adaptive goals.
Finally, results concerning agentic engagement showed that students whose purpose is to improve their competence and learning (mastery approach goals) are likely to enrich the learning environment and make constructive contribution to instruction in science classes (agentic engagement). Initially, this study proposed that if students study for the reasons of self-improvement, learning and understanding in science classes, they may try to enrich the learning environment and make constructive contribution to instruction through enthusiastically asking questions to improve their learning to their teachers and reflecting their opinions or feelings during an activity as an active participant in science classes. On the other hand, if students study for the reasons of looking smart, demonstrating their abilities to other, and obtaining a good grade, they may be less likely to share their opinions about how to improve the classroom practices or express their preferences to improve their learning. Therefore, although there is not much research concerning the relationship between agentic engagement and goal orientations in the literature, the findings concerning the relationship between achievement goals and agentic engagement was as expected.
Overall, the findings of this study indicated significant relationship between mastery approach goals and student engagement in terms of behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and agentic in science. When considered the importance of student engagement in adaptive outcomes, such as improvement in motivation, academic achievement, and ultimately in scientific literacy, it is suggested that science teachers help students adopt mastery approach goals. To be able to support mastery goals Ames (1992) recommended some strategies. Firstly, instructional tasks involving interest, medium challenge, and active participation should be provided. More specifically, tasks which are challenging, interesting, meaningful, and relevant to students; offer variety and diversity; controlled by students are likely to enhance curiosity for learning and promote mastery orientation and active engagement (Nicholls, 1989). Secondly, evaluation practices concentrated on personal improvement, progress, and mastery should be emphasized. Finally, autonomy in the learning environment should be provided. Students should feel independent and responsible for their own learning. There is some evidence that teachers can learn how to become more autonomy supportive through participating in a training program (Reeve, 2006; 2012). Therefore, it can be recommended that Ministry of Education organize in-service trainings in order to help science teachers to improve their autonomy supportive style of teaching. Similarly, teacher education programs should emphasize the importance of creating autonomy supportive classrooms and provide specific suggestions to enhance students’ autonomy in science classes: For example, it can be suggested that problem-based learning, which requires students to deal with ill-structured problems from daily lives to understand underlying basic scientific concepts, is implemented in science classes. Actually, problem-based learning provides students with authentic learning environments in which they use different strategies to propose solutions to given problems accessing different resources. Thus, during this process students feel autonomous in their learning: They decide on which strategy to use, from whom to seek help, which resources to access to improve their knowledge on the related science topic. Ill-structured problems from daily lives increase their curiosity and help them realize the connection between what they learn in the classroom to their real life experiences. Additionally, because students work in small groups, while dealing with ill-structured problems, they cooperate with, not compete against each other while gaining knowledge because it’s the groups’ responsibility to propose a solution and provide a scientific explanation for a given problem. All these characteristics of problem-based learning can help students adopt mastery goals in their science learning. In addition, integration of hands-on, inquiry based activities can be conducive to adoption of mastery goals.
Recommendations
According to current findings, students holding mastery goals use a variety of strategies resulting in a deeper processing of scientific information, pay attention to science class, feel curious and interested while studying science, and ask questions, offer suggestions to make science class better. All these characteristics can result in improvement in students’ scientific literacy because scientifically literature individuals have a deep understanding of scientific knowledge, demonstrate positive attitudes toward science, they enjoy involving in scientific tasks, and overall, science becomes an important part of their lives. Thus, current study has potential to provide valuable implications to improve science education and scientific literacy. Future studies can examine effectiveness of suggested instructional strategies on supporting mastery goals, student engagement, and ultimately, scientific literacy. Future studies can also use qualitative methodologies to illuminate the current findings and provide in-depth explanations for the observed relations. Longitudinal studies are also suggested to reveal cause and effect relations.
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