An investigation of the effects of school context and sex differences on students' motivational goal orientations

Martin Dowson*, Dennis M. McInerney, Genevieve F. Nelson

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

It is widely postulated that school context characteristics and sex may influence students' motivational orientations. However, relatively little empirical evidence exists to support this postulate. Hence the present study sought to examine both the individual and interactive effects of school and sex differences on students' motivational goals. Participants were 602 middle school students. The effects of school and sex on three academic and five social goals were examined. Results suggest that school and (to a lesser extent) sex differences, as well as the interaction between the two, significantly influence students' motivational orientations. Results are discussed and interpreted within the framework of motivation psychology.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)781-811
Number of pages31
JournalEducational Psychology
Volume26
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2006
Externally publishedYes

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