HABITS OF MIND AND ACADEMIC ENDEAVORS The Correlates and Consequences of Achievement Goal Orientations

The purpose of this study was to examine factors that influence students ’ situ-ational construals and the consequences of those construals in terms of task en-gagement and performance. A theoretical framework was laid out which outlined the dynamic processes of self-regulation in learning and performance. It was sug-gested that the goals and outcomes students favor and pursue are crucial determi-nants of how students approach academic tasks. Two major forms of self-regulation were identified; one with a focus on gaining personal resources, and an-other with a focus on restoring the balance in personal well-being. The tendency to engage in different variants of these basic forms of self-regulation was presumed to be reflected in the patterning of different achievement goal orientations. The general research questions of the study were as follows: (1) What sort of goal orientations and goal orientation profiles can be identified among compre-hensive school students? (2) How generalizable are goal orientations in relation to gender and cultural background? (3) How do students with different goal orienta