ERIC Number: EJ799202
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Jul
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0144-3410
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Multiple-Goal Learners and Their Differential Patterns of Learning
Ng, Chi-hung Clarence
Educational Psychology, v28 n4 p439-456 Jul 2008
The hypothesis in this study was that different types of multiple-goal learners would have different patterns of learning. A sample of 797 adult distance learners enrolled in different programs offered by a distance learning university in Hong Kong completed a questionnaire assessing their goals, use of strategies, motivational beliefs, and attitudes towards the course they were doing. Two-stage cluster analyses found a group of single-goal learners (mastery focused) and three groups of multiple-goal learners with different focuses in their goal profiles: performance focus, work focus, and multiple focuses. These four clusters of learners differed in terms of use of learning strategies, regulatory strategies, motivational beliefs, and attitudes towards the course. Learners focusing on work-related goals or performance goals achieved better examination results than did those focusing on multiple goals or solely on mastery goals. (Contains 4 tables.)
Descriptors: Distance Education, Learning Strategies, Student Motivation, Foreign Countries, Goal Orientation, Adult Students, Higher Education, Questionnaires, Mastery Learning, Occupational Aspiration, Multivariate Analysis, Self Management, Student Attitudes, Beliefs, Tests, Scores, Academic Achievement
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Hong Kong
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A