Motivated by Grace? Exploring Achievement Motivation in Catholic Secondary Schools
Open Access
Author:
Balliett, Timothy R.
Graduate Program:
Educational Psychology
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
January 26, 2007
Committee Members:
Rayne Audrey Sperling, Committee Member John Daniel Marshall, Committee Member Robert James Stevens, Committee Chair/Co-Chair Peggy Noel Van Meter, Committee Member
The relationships of religious beliefs and perceived classroom context to achievement goal orientation in Catholic secondary schools are explored to determine if achievement goal orientation is a stable individual characteristic in addition to being situational. The theoretical development, measurement, and perceived classroom correlates of mastery-avoidance goal achievement motivation are discussed. Debate over the values inherent in performance-approach goal adoption provides the context for examining the relationship between religious beliefs and motivation in Catholic secondary schools. The grace and Tracy scales and a religiosity measure were administered to 1300 Catholic secondary school students in 8 schools. Mastery-avoidance motivation was present in this population. Religious beliefs were correlated with mastery-approach goal orientation. Multiple regression analyses indicated that classroom perceptions were the strongest predictors of achievement goal orientation.
