Key antecedents of maximal levels of aspiration and minimal boundary goals: a structural equation modeling analysis

Abstract

Research findings indicate that two types of goals, which focus on the lowest (highest) levels of achievement possible in a learning setting, are strong predictors of how well students attain in school. Unfortunately, little is known about how these two goals, termed minimal boundary goals (MBG) and maximal levels of aspiration (MLA) relate to psychological constructs that are theorized to be antecedents of goals. To fill this knowledge gap, this research collected data from 463 secondary-school students and tested a model linking these goals to achievement motives and theory of intelligence. Results revealed that not believing that intelligence is fixed and devoting effort to studying was associated with a strong endorsement of MLA. At the same time, making low/no efforts to study, being afraid of failure, and believing that intelligence is fixed were strong predictors of MBG. These findings advance current knowledge and have important implications for teaching and learning.