Performance approach, performance avoidance and depth of information processing: A fresh look at relations between students' academic motivation and cognition

It is widely postulated that school context characteristics and sex may influence students' motivational orientations. However, relatively little empirical evidence exists to support this postulate. Hence the present study sought to examine both the individual and interactive effects of school and sex differences on students' motivational goals. Participants were 602 middle school students. The effects of school and sex on three academic and five social goals were examined. Results suggest that school and (to a lesser extent) sex differences, as well as the interaction between the two, significantly influence students' motivational orientations. Results are discussed and interpreted within the framework of motivation psychology