Goal orientation among graduate students

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study: The purpose of this study was to identify the predominant goal orientation among graduate students and the external factors that predicted that goal orientation. Participants in this study were 132 graduate students at Oklahoma State University who voluntarily participated in an internet survey. Each participant completed a demographic survey, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the Revised Goal Orientation Scale (RGOS). Chi square Goodness of Fit test was used to test for differences in the population proportions in three possible goal preference categories, then multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the predictive characteristics of the predominant group (mastery orientation).

Findings and Conclusions: The majority of this sample of graduate students were found to have a mastery goal orientation. Predictors of mastery goal orientation were marriage and work status, progress in program, dependents, social support, gender, and income contributing almost 19% variance. Further analysis revealed that almost 16% of the variance in the dependent variable (mastery orientation) was predicted by the independent variables, progress in program, under the condition of part-time work. Mastery goal orientation is correlated with positive behaviors such as deeper learning, persistence in the face of failure, positive coping strategies, and long term academic achievement. Promoting mastery orientation among graduate students would benefit universities with higher retention and less waste of resources. There may be other factors, extrinsic and intrinsic which contribute to mastery orientation as the variance found in this study was modest.