Achievement Goals and Engagement With Academic Work in Early High School: Does Seeking Help From Teachers Matter?

Abstract

The aim of this longitudinal study was to examine seeking help from teachers as a mechanism mediating the relationship between achievement goals adopted by students early in the school year and their degree of behavioral and cognitive engagement in academic work almost 2 years later. A sample of 456 French Canadian students (215 boys; 240 girls; one unspecified) in Grade 7 (61%) and Grade 8 (39%) participated in the study. Results of structural equation modeling showed that mastery goals (approach and avoidance) were indirect predictors of both behavioral and cognitive engagement through seeking help from teachers. Performance goals (avoidance, but not approach orientation) were associated with cognitive engagement through help-seeking behaviors. Overall, these results suggest that achievement goals are key drivers of changes in academic engagement in early high school and that their contribution is explained by seeking help from teachers. Practical implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.