Emilia DeSantis

4 March 2013

Covington, M.V. (2000). Goal theory, motivation, and school achievement: An integrative review. Annual Review Psychology, 51, 171-200. Abstract Covington provides a review of how the quality of student learning is affected by students social and academic goals, motivation for these goals, and classroom reward structures. He distinguished between the perspectives of motives-as-drives and motives-as-goals. According to the motives-as drives perspective, students are motivated to achieve through an emotional conflict to strive for success or avoid failure. According to the motives-as-goals perspective, students are motivated to learn through set goals and their behavior will change along with the goals. Covington outlines aspects of achievement goal theory, stating that it is the most recent theory in the motives-as-goals perspective. Achievement goal theory says that achievement goals influence quality, timing and appropriateness of cognitive strategies. Covington breaks down this theory explaining the difference between performance and learning goals. Learning goals enhance competency, understanding, and appreciation for learning; while performance goals focus on outperforming others and creating a sense of ability and status. Learning goals accomplish this because they favor deep-level, strategic processing of information as opposed to superficial, rote-level processing. Covington also explores the trichotomous sequence found through research of goals, cognition, and achievement. First he examines goals to cognition, finding that students with learning goals engaged in higher levels of self-regulated learning in comparison to those with performance goals, through monitoring understanding, using organization strategies, and making positive, adaptive attributions to success and failure.

Covington then explains how the quality of cognitive processing strategies lead to different achievement outcomes, while giving attention to cultural biases that may occur. Prosocial goals are also seen to play a role in student achievement and relate positively to learning goals. Covington addresses self processes linking academic goals and quality achievement behavior. In his self worth theory, students struggle to maintain self-worth based on their ability to achieve. Covington discusses self-protective mechanisms used to protect self-worth, such as selfhandicapping and defensive pessimism. Covington also addresses classroom incentive structures, two of which include ability games and equity games. Ability games focus on competition, using negative achievement goals, while equity games focus on recognizing students efforts for self-improvement. Covington suggests several strategies to creating motivational equity, like individual goal setting, task choice, and setting absolute standards. Looking at motivation as a whole, Covington integrates achievement, motivation, and goal setting. Analysis Covingtons explanation of learning goals and performance goals gives enormous insight into ways in which teachers can work with students to increase motivation and build self-worth. The process in which goals increase self-learning plays a big part in a students motivation and worth. By working with students to learn how to self-regulate, we can prepare them to become selfreliant and apply strategies that will increase their chances of success with new experiences. Having these strategies will also increase the confidence a student has when facing a new task, making them more likely to attempt it and less stressed about the possibility of failure. Having these learning strategies will also produce increased achievement among assigned tasks, encouraging the student to monitor their understanding and make adjustments if necessary.

Teachers should actively work to prepare students to no longer need them. By preparing a student not to need their teacher, they will have the skills to succeed even when the teacher is not available. Covington also acknowledges the importance of prosocial goals, proposing that Like academic goals, prosocial goals can help organize, direct, and empower individuals to achieve more fully (pg 147). Benefits of cooperative learning and creative play have been well researched and proven to be beneficial to student learning. These sorts of activities can encourage and develop prosocial goals while incorporating academics. Building this sense of a learning community and freedom of expression in the classroom will create a safe environment for creativity and learning to flourish. While working with students on both learning and prosocial goals, care must be taken with minority students. Covington addressed a special dilemma that may occur, when a minority student must accept dominant Anglo achievement values to do well enough in school, but not too much to create an issue with family and minority peers. This can put the child in a place where they want to be accepted by both cultures, but also afraid to disappoint either. When put in this position it is easy for the child to feel like they dont fully belong to either culture which can cause confusion about oneself. Covington says that the quality of the student/teacher relationship depends not only on the personal actions of the teacher, but also on the instructional climate in which these actions occur (pg 180). This can be accomplished by creating a caring environment, which celebrates and respects each individuals uniqueness and talents, along with gaining an understanding of various cultural values. By valuing each persons individuality, a special point can be made to encourage a perception of ones self-worth based on achieving goals that depend solely on personal growth, while discouraging the measurement of self-worth based on others.

Discussion Question In todays world, is it truly possible to teach and honor the different cultures within the classroom without angering any parents? How can we as teachers help students with their selfworth by fostering an accepting classroom of all the different cultures and religions without having some students get pulled out of the classroom because their parent doesnt approve?