Publication: Working memory, academic goal orientation, and Mathematics performance
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Date
2010
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Abstract
In academic achievement, there has been a call for working memory and goals to be considered together (Covington, 2000). This study thus examines the way in which working memory, goal orientation and Mathematics achievement are related. Participants were 316 upper primary school students. Through a series of structural equation models, it was argued that the data best fit a model where goal orientation and working memory separately accounted for unique variance in Mathematics proficiency (additive model). Results are consistent with studies in cognitive psychology, and suggest that goals impact achievement not merely through the increased allocation of mental resources or effort to working memory. This study contends that rather than rate of learning, goals influence the quality of learning through learning strategies. Juxtaposing these findings with the levels of endorsement that local students place upon academic goals, pedagogical implications are discussed.