LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONS BETWEEN PERCEIVED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, ACHIEVEMENT GOAL ORIENTATIONS, AND LEARNING STRATEGIES: INTRINSIC-EXTRINSIC REGULATION AS A MEDIATOR

In the present longitudinal study we investigated the relationship between perceived learning environment (Mastery and Performance Focus), achievement goal orientations (Mastery, Performance, and Work-Avoidance Orientations), learning strategies (Deep Processing, Surface Processing, and Self-handicapping), and intrinsic-extrinsic regulation (Intrinsic, Identified, Introjected, and External Regulation). We administered questionnaires to 214 junior high school students at two points in time: one at grade 7 and the other at grade 8. Significant mean differences between grades were found in several variables. Multiple regression and hierarchical regression analyses revealed that perceptions of the learning environment were predicting achievement goal orientations, and the intrinsic-extrinsic regulation mediated between these two sets of variables. Furthermore, learning strategies were influenced by the various goal orientations. Contrary to previous research results, not all learning strategies were influenced by the various goal orientations. The longitudinal proactive effects were examined for all variables, and most variables were influenced by the same variables from the previous year. When the variables in grade 8 were selected as the criteria and variables in grade 7 were selected as predictors, proactive effects, though not strong, were obtained for some predictors.