Achievement goal orientation across the college career: A latent growth analysis

Assessing student development can be a challenge in that such constructs are difficult to define and difficult to measure. However, the need exists for universities to understand student's personal development as they progress though college. Although there are many important facets of student development worthy of examination, this study focused on one aspect of development commonly referenced in university mission statements: students' premonition for lifelong learning. Previous research has noted the difficulty in determining if universities are creating lifelong learners; however, this study attempted to examine this development by means of a related concept: student achievement goal orientation. One cohort of students was assessed on three occasions during college to estimate change in five dimensions of student achievement goal orientation: mastery-approach, performance-approach, mastery-avoidance, performance-avoidance, and work-avoidance.; In addition to addressing the need for information on student development, this study attempted to address the shortcomings of prior longitudinal research, for example, by employing specific methodologies that allow inclusion of partial records, estimation of individual variation within change, examination of measurement invariance, and fluctuation within patterns of change. Before estimating change over time, it was first determined that the measurement of goal orientation was psychometrically stable across the three assessments, as indicated by the sufficient level of measurement invariance. Change was estimated using Latent Growth Modeling which allowed the estimated pattern of change to be explicitly identified and described. Individual variation in change was also found and used to address ancillary research questions regarding change across dimensions of goal orientation and the relationship between initial goal orientation and change in goal orientation.; All five dimensions of goal orientation exhibited significant change across the three assessments. The identified patterns of change present interesting information for student development and student motivation. Discussion of this estimated change includes exploration of the change in terms of achievement goal orientation, students' motivational perspective, and the development of lifelong learners.