Achievement Goals, Professional Development, and Work Stress of Researchers: Results of Two Studies

• In Event: Motivation and Emotions of University Faculty: Predicting Teaching and Research Performance, Stress, and Well-Being

Abstract

Apart from teaching, research constitutes a main task of university staff (Hattie & Marsh, 1996). Work stress and professional development have been identified as key factors predicting high-quality research productivity (Khan et al., 2014), while researchers’ motivation is likely to influence these two aspects (Barkhuizen, Rothmann & van de Vijver, 2013). This study investigated the achievement goals of researchers and their association to work stress and professional development.

Literature on university staff usually reports high levels of work stress, especially in the research domain, which leaves little time for professional development (Watts & Robertson, 2011). Negative associations between burnout and motivation among faculty have also been found (Singh, Mishra, & Kim, 1998). In correspondence to findings on the influence of achievement goals on the development of work stress of teachers in primary and secondary schools (Tönjes & Dickhäuser, 2009), it seems likely that such goals are also crucial for researchers. At the same time, research on how students and adults use learning opportunities emphasizes the importance of achievement goals for learning (Payne, Youngcourt, & Beaubien, 2007). Since research and teaching constitute explicit achievement contexts, and achievement goals have already successfully described the motivation for teaching at universities (Daumiller, Dickhäuser, Grassinger, & Dresel, 2016), we expected that achievement goals are also suitable to describe the motivation for research. However, as achievement goal theory specifies different goals, it is an open question as to which goals researchers pursue and how they relate to work stress and professional development.

Two studies were conducted. In a qualitative interview study, 20 researchers were asked about their achievement goals. Their answers were analyzed with a category system distinguishing ten possible goal classes (κ=.86). In a second study, 637 German researchers (314 female; 395 with PhD, including 172 full professors) made assessments in regard to work stress (MBI), professional development, and achievement goals (Authors, 2016).

Results of the interview study documented that most of the articulated goals (93%) constituted achievement goals (Table 1). Apart from established mastery and performance goal classes, researchers also mentioned goals directed at relationships with colleagues and getting through the day with little effort. Mastery goals were distinguishable in regards to task and self-standards, while appearance and normative strivings were mentioned as distinct aspects of performance goals.

The second study confirmed the separability of these goal classes (model with 10 goal classes: CFI=.94, TLI=.93; RMSEA=.04) and structural equation modeling identified differential associations with work stress and professional development (more than one third of their variance was explained by the goals, respectively; cf. Table 2). Self-approach, and relational goals were positively associated with professional development, while appearance-avoidance goals yielded negative associations. Simultaneously, work-avoidance and normative goals were associated with more work stress, while task-approach and self-approach goals were related to lower stress.

Taken together, the results point to the relevance of these ten distinguishable goals and emphasize that achievement goals constitute a prosperous approach for understanding university researchers’ motivation and explaining their professional development and well-being at work.

Authors

• Martin Daumiller, University of Augsburg

• Markus Dresel, Augsburg University