The role of implicit theories in students' grit, achievement goals, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and achievement in the context of a long-term challenging task

Abstract

This study first aims to investigate the role of students' implicit theories on their two grit facets (perseverance of effort [PE], consistency of interest [CI]) and on their achievement goals, learning motivation, and achievement in the context of a challenging academic task. Secondly, the study examines whether PE and CI are related to students' achievement goals, learning motivation and achievement. We surveyed 1215 students from the upper secondary school level with a mean age of 17.5 years, who completed a compulsory academic certificate paper over approximately one school year. The results of this study reveal that a more incremental theory was positively correlated with students' PE and CI. Furthermore, an incremental theory supports adaptive motivational patterns, such as stronger learning goals and higher intrinsic motivation, through which implicit theories are weakly related to academic achievement. This study finds evidence that PE and CI exhibit different motivational patterns. Whereas PE is positively correlated with mastery goals, performance-approach goals, and intrinsic motivation, CI demonstrates negative correlations with performance-approach, performance-avoidance goals and extrinsic motivation. In addition, PE is only weakly and CI not at all correlated with academic achievement through more adaptive learning goals and intrinsic motivation. Overall, the results confirm the significance of implicit theories for adaptive motivational patterns in the context of an educational achievement task. Finally, this study supports the claim that PE and CI should be treated separately due to their different correlational paths with motivational variables.