Dynamic Reciprocal Relations of Achievement Goal Orientations with Daily Experiences of Success and Failure: An Ambulatory Assessment Study
Achievement goals have been linked to achievement in various educational settings. The present work explored day-to-day variations in achievement goal orientations (mastery, performance-approach, performance-avoidance) and their associations with intrinsic motivation in school and daily experiences of success and failure. Ambulatory assessment data from 108 students in Grade 5 were collected, with daily assessments of achievement goal orientations in the morning, intrinsic motivation at school, and end-of-day reports of academic success and failure. Multilevel models showed that children reported more intrinsic motivation and more success on days when they reported greater mastery goal orientation. Mastery goal orientations were also linked to better academic achievement one year later. Performance-avoidance orientation was associated with more failure on the same day. Dynamic structural equation models indicated reciprocal associations between goal orientations and experiences of success and failure across days. Findings suggest meaningful within-person dynamics among goals orientations and daily academic success and failure.