Examining Classroom Support of Achievement Goals Through Talk

• In Event: Investigating Cognition and Motivation at the Classroom Level

Abstract

Purpose: Prior studies on achievement goals have primarily relied on student self-reports of their own goals, teachers’ goals, or perceived features of the classroom environment. However, this approach may miss important variation in the behaviors and interactions between teachers and students that may give insights into the development and emergence of classroom goal structures. We examined naturally occurring classroom dialogue to determine: a) whether goal features can be observed in teacher-student talk, and b) whether those features differ across high and low achieving classrooms.

Framework: A mastery goal emphasizes the intrinsic value of learning, self-improvement, and has been associated with positive student learning strategies and behaviors (Ames, 1992a; Meece, et al., 2006; Patrick, et al., 2001). A performance goal emphasizes the extrinsic value of learning, normative performance standards, and has been associated with both positive and negative learning strategies and behaviors depending on the valence of the goal (i.e., approach versus avoidance; Ames 1992a; Elliot, 1999; Meece, et al., 2006; Patrick, et al., 2001). Researchers have identified six dimensions of a classroom goal structure including: Task; Authority; Recognition; Grouping; Evaluation; and Timing (TARGET; Ames, 1992b). Studies have shown positive relations between a classroom goal structure and a student’s personal goal orientation (Patrick, Kaplan, & Ryan, 2011). In the current work, we focus on: recognition, evaluation, and task expectations as they manifest in teacher-student talk. Mastery-focused talk includes recognizing students individually for their understanding and effort, evaluating students individually with feedback aimed at increasing understanding, accepting mistakes as part of the learning process, and stating expectations focused on understanding and learning. In contrast, performance-focused talk includes recognizing students for correctness and achievement, evaluating students with feedback aimed at correctness, shaming/correcting mistakes, and stating expectations focused on grades/achievement.

Method: Using 40 videos (20 with high teacher value-added scores and 20 with low) from the Measures of Effective Teaching database, we coded teacher-student dialogue for instances of mastery- or performance-focused talk. We hypothesized that classrooms that had higher value-added scores on a conceptual mathematics test would engage in more mastery-focused talk and less performance-focused talk than classrooms with lower value-added scores.

Results: Preliminary results from 14 (7 high, 7 low) classrooms revealed a trend in which the higher achieving classes had more instances of mastery talk (M = 6.45, M = 4.45, d = -.55) and fewer instances of performance talk (M = 5.40, M = 7.34, d = .46). Compared to high value-added classrooms, low value-added classrooms had more instances of recognition targeting the whole class rather than individual students, (M = 1.66, M = .25, d = 1.63), gave more recognition in the form of criticism, (M = 2.96, M = 1.05, d = 1.25), and stated more task expectations focused on achievement (M = .54, M = .05, d = 1.18).
Significance: Preliminary results suggest that teacher-student talk can be productively analyzed for evidence of classroom goals. Further, the associations of mastery-focused talk with better performance on a conceptual mathematics test are consistent with prior theory and suggestive of future instructional interventions to test a casual relation.

Authors

• Kelly Boden, University of Pittsburgh

• Timothy James Nokes-Malach, University of Pittsburgh