Investigating achievement goals of univerity students

This study aims to examine university students? achievement goals according to some variables. In this context, whether university students? genders, irrational believes, academic self-efficacy, locus of control, perfectionism, (high standards, order, discrepancy, dissatisfaction) and self-determination are important predictors of their mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals was examined in this study. In addition, it was examined whether achievement goals differ according to grade level and perceived academic achievement in high school. In this study, participants were 1509 university students. Data of the study were collected via 2 x 2 Achievement Goals Scale, Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, Irrational Belief Scale-Brief Form, Almost Perfect Scale-Revised, Self-Determination Scale, Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale and Personal Information Survey. The data were analysed using one-way ANOVA, correlation, and hierarchical regression. According to findings of the research, 1st grade students have higher mastery-avoidance goals than 4th grade students. Also, 1st grade students have higher performance-approach goals than 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade students. In addition, 1st grade students have higher performance-avoidance goals than 3rd and 4th grade students. Finally, 2nd grade student have also higher performance-avoidance goals than 4th grade students. Further, results indicated that students having high-very high level of perceived academic achievement have higher mastery-approach goals than students having mid-level and low-too low level of perceived academic achievement. Also, students having mid-level of perceived academic achievement have higher mastery-approach goals than students having low-too low level of perceived academic achievement. Furthermore, students having high-very high level of perceived academic achievement have higher performance-approach goals than students having low-too low and mid-level of perceived academic achievement. According to the regression analysis results, mastery-approach goals are predicted by high standards subscale of perfectionism, academic self-efficacy, order subscale of perfectionism, self-determination, locus of control, discrepancy subscale of perfectionism and gender respectively. Accordingly, while the level of high standards, academic self-efficacy, order, self-determination and external locus of control increases, the level of mastery-approach increases, too. On the other hand, while the level of discrepancy increases, the level of mastery-approach decreases. In terms of gender, the level of mastery-approach of female students is higher than male students?. Mastery-avoidance goals are predicted by high standards subscale of perfectionism, irrational believes, order and discrepancy subscales of perfectionism and gender respectively. Accordingly, while the level of high standards, irrational believes, order and discrepancy increases, the level of mastery-avoidance goals decreases. Also, the level of mastery-avoidance goals of female students is higher than male students?. Performance-approach goals are predicted by irrational believes, academic self-efficacy, discrepancy subscale of perfectionism, self-determination and gender respectively. In this context, while the level of irrational believes, academic self-efficacy and discrepancy increases, the level of performance-approach goals increases, too. On the other hand, while the level of self-determination increases, the level of performance-approach goals decreases. Also, the level of performance-approach goals of male students is higher than female students?. Performance-avoidance goals are predicted by irrational believes, discrepancy subscale of perfectionism, self-determination, high standards subscale of perfectionism and academic self-efficacy respectively. Accordingly, while the level of irrational believes and discrepancy increases, the level of performance-avoidance goals increases, too. Otherwise, while the level of self-determination, high standards and academic self-efficacy increases, the level of performance-avoidance goals decreases.