ABSTRACT

Teachers exert a significant influence on students’ motivation, as conceptualized in the achievement goal theory. Our study investigates the complex interactions among student perceptions of classroom promoted goals and personal achievement goals, with a focus on classroom-promoted performance approach orientations. We also tap into the goal structures teachers promote in their classrooms, and their approaches to instruction. We employed the Pattern of Adaptive Learning Scales - PALS (Midgley et al., 2000) on a sample of middle-school students (N = 113) and their teachers. Research has shown that the subjective reports teachers and students provide on instructional practices are not always consonant. Therefore, in order to enhance students’ academic motivation, both students’ and teachers’ perceptions must be adequately appraised. Moreover, the investigation of perceived goal orientations of students’ ideal teacher points out valuable information about students’ personal proclivities in respect to classroom goals.

KEYWORDS: academic motivation, achievement goals,PALS, Romania, middle-schools.

PAGES: 81-99