Achievement motives and emotional processes in children during problem-solving: Two experimental studies of their relation to performance in different achievement goal conditions

In two studies, the influence of key emotional and motivational factors on performance in different achievement goal-type
situations is examined. In study 1, based on 314 sixth-graders, two types of goal situations were induced; performance and
mastery. The goals were examined with respect to important antecedents (e.g., motive dispositions) and several consequences
(e.g., performance, satisfaction, pleasant affect, worry, and emotionality). The results showed that the motive to achieve
success (M
_s) produced positive affects, satisfaction, and increased performance, whereas the motive to avoid failure (M
_f) produced worries and performance reduction. In study 2, based on 331 sixth-graders, three types of goal situations were
induced; performance–approach, performance–avoidance, and mastery goals. The findings revealed that the most important single
factors positively related to performance were M
_s and mastery–goal situation. In addition, high M
_s pupils performed better under mastery condition than under performance condition. Finally, avoidance-goal situation accentuate
the negative effects of high M
_f on performance.