title: When performance-approach goals predict academic achievement and when they do not: a social value approach.
abstract: Research on achievement goal promotion at University has shown that performance-approach goals are perceived as a means to succeed at University (high social utility) but are not appreciated (low social desirability). We argue that such a paradox could explain why research has detected that performance-approach goals consistently predict academic grades. First-year psychology students answered a performance-approach goal scale with standard, social desirability and social utility instructions. Participants' grades were recorded at the end of the semester. Results showed that the relationship between performance-approach goals and grades was inhibited by the increase of these goals' social desirability and facilitated by the increase of their social utility, revealing that the predictive validity of performance-approach goals depends on social value.
authors: Université de Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors: Benoît
authors: B
authors: Dompnier
authors: Céline
authors: C
authors: Darnon
authors: Fabrizio
authors: F
authors: Butera
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012945:Social Values; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult