Measuring achievement goal orientations of pharmacy students.
OBJECTIVE
To measure the achievement goal orientations of pharmacy students attending a 3-year (accelerated) doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program.


METHODS
A 16-item survey based on the Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ) was administered to first-year (P1) and second-year (P2) pharmacy students at the Appalachian College of Pharmacy (ACP). Students were instructed to indicate to what degree each statement was true for them using a 7-point Likert scale (1=not true of me, 7=very true of me).


RESULTS
One hundred twenty of the 155 students (77%) completed the survey. Most students had mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, performance-approach, and/or performance-avoidance goal orientations; few had work-avoidance goal orientations. Second-year students and male students had higher work-avoidance mean scores than did P1 students and female students (p<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Pharmacy students were mastery- and performance-oriented learners, and most did not have work-avoidance goal orientations. Male students and P2 students had higher work-avoidance than did female students and P1 students, respectively. More longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Department of Pharmacy Practice, Appalachian College of Pharmacy, Oakwood, Virginia.
Paul
P
Gavaza
Department of Pharmacy Practice, Appalachian College of Pharmacy, Oakwood, Virginia.
Thomas
T
Muthart
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Appalachian College of Pharmacy, Oakwood, Virginia.
Ghous M
GM
Khan
D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000379:methods*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D012580:Schools, Pharmacy; D012737:Sex Factors; D013339:Students, Pharmacy / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
attitudes; motivation; pharmacy education; pharmacy students