Individual differences in achievement goals among young children

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Child Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Prevailing view: young children lack cognitive prerequisites for helplessness.
• Emerging evidence: preschoolers are vulnerable to helplessness in specific situations.

Purpose of the Study:

• Test a goal-confidence model predicting achievement behavior during failure in preschoolers.
• Investigate if individual differences in achievement goals emerge early.

Main Methods:

• Categorized 4- and 5-year-olds' goal orientations (learning vs. performance).
• Assessed goal orientation's independence from ability.
• Examined cognitions and emotions during failure based on goal orientation and confidence.

Main Results:

• Goal orientation predicted failure responses, independent of ability.
• Children with learning goals showed mastery orientation regardless of confidence.
• Children with performance goals and low confidence exhibited helplessness.

Conclusions:

• Individual differences in achievement goals are present in early childhood.
• The goal-confidence model applies to preschoolers' responses to failure.
• Early emergence of achievement goal orientations impacts behavior.