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Generalized achievement goals and situational coping in inquiry learning

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Abstract

This study examined situation-specific coping strategies of students with different achievement goals as they take part in inquiry learning. A case study was conducted in a Finnish elementary school. 21 ten-year-old students participated in the study. Two types of data were collected: (1) Students self-reported questionnaires on achievement goals, (2) Video data on the students' learning processes and social interaction. The results revealed the importance of a situative perspective in instructional design, since the students not only differed in their coping attempts regarding their initial goals but also according to their individual situational interpretations that mediated their active coping attempts. Some of the non-learning-focused students had difficulties engaging in the working procedures. A lack of teacher's concrete and precise guidance in both cognitive and motivational sense appeared to explain this phenomenon.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Research on Networked Learning and Knowledge Building, Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, 00014, Finland

    Marjaana Veermans

  2. University of Oulu, Finland

    Sanna Järvelä

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  1. Marjaana Veermans
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  2. Sanna Järvelä
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Correspondence to Marjaana Veermans.

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Veermans, M., Järvelä, S. Generalized achievement goals and situational coping in inquiry learning. Instructional Science 32, 269–291 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:TRUC.0000026465.74406.47

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