The predictive role of mastery motivation in preschool on school achievement 8 years later

• In Event: Understanding the origins, determinants, and consequences of children’s mastery motivation: A developmental approach

Abstract

Mastery motivation involves “the urge or psychological “push” to solve problems, meet challenges, and master ourselves and our world”. (Barrett & Morgan, 2018). Mastery motivation is a predictor of school success (e.g. Józsa & Barrett, 2018). However, longitudinal studies predicting middle school achievement from preschool mastery motivation have not been reported. Thus, additional work is needed to see if mastery motivation continues to predict performance beyond the elementary school years.
This study examines whether mastery motivation, specifically affective reactions to challenge, social persistence, and cognitive persistence, in preschool predicts school achievement 8 years later. Over 200 Hungarian students from small towns in Hungary were followed from preschool until 6th grade. The mean age of children was 4.64 years at the first assessment (SD=1.13 years) and 12.23 years at the second one (SD=1.14 years).
The DMQ (Dimensions of Mastery Motivation Questionnaire, Morgan et. al., 2008) was completed by preschool teachers to assess children’s mastery motivation. Children’s preschool IQ and maternal education were additional predictors. The DMQ had good reliability (α=0.7–0.9 per subscales). Sixth grade achievement was assessed using three indicators: grade point average (GPA) and national standardized test scores of mathematics and reading comprehension. GPA was calculated from 9 required course grades. Alphas for each standardized test was 0.91.
A series of 6 multiple regressions was conducted, to assess the ability of affective (negative/avoidant reactions to challenge and mastery pleasure) and (separately) instrumental (cognitive persistence, social persistence with adults, and social persistence with children) aspects of mastery motivation to predict GPA, Reading Achievement, and Math Achievement in 6th grade, over and above the role of Maternal Education and preschool IQ. All six regressions were highly significant, p <.001. In terms of affective aspects of mastery motivation, preschool Negative/Withdrawal to Challenge significantly and negatively predicted Reading Achievement, t(1) =-2.10, p =.037, Math Achievement, t(1) =-2.99, p =.003, and GPA, t(1) =-2.64, p =.009, over and above the role of Maternal Education and IQ, but Mastery Pleasure did not contribute significantly to any of these predictions. For persistence variables, Cognitive/Object Persistence significantly predicted Reading Achievement, t(1) =3.13, p =.002, Math Achievement, t(1) =3.58, p <.001, and GPA, t(1) 3.56, p <.001, over and above Maternal Education and preschool IQ, but neither Social Persistence with Adults or Social Persistence with Children contributed significantly to these predictions. These results support the long-term role of Cognitive/Object Persistence and Negative/Withdrawal to Challenge in school success.

Authors

• Karen Caplovitz Barrett, Colorado State University
  Presenting Author

• Krisztián Józsa, Colorado State University
  Non-Presenting Author