Beyond academic achievement goals: The importance of social achievement goals in explaining gender differences in self-handicapping

In this study, 536 secondary school students in England (ages 13–14) reported their social achievement goals, academic achievement goals, and self-handicapping behaviours. Boys were more likely to adopt social demonstration goals, performance-approach and -avoidance goals, and reported greater behavioural self-handicapping. Moreover, structural equation models showed that social demonstration goals uniquely mediated the relationship between gender and self-handicapping, beyond the effect of performance-avoidance goals. Results highlight the importance of social achievement goals in explaining gender differences in self-handicapping. The findings suggest that educators need to attend to adolescents' social goals in addition to their academic goals in secondary school.
Source: Learning and Individual Differences - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research