Loneliness has previously been linked to cognitive and attentional bias, and such biases may have a detrimental impact on perceived scholastic self-beliefs. Little is known about the relationship in school-aged adolescents. The current study examined the association between loneliness and scholastic self-beliefs in a nationally representative…

Research on social aspects of academic motivation is scarce. Based on two nationally representative cohorts within the Swedish longitudinal ETF-project, the study examined (a) relationships between academic mastery/performance, social and future achievement goal orientations in the Swedish grade 9 compulsory school (2008/2014); (b) their…

The aim of the study was twofold: (1) to examine how psychosocial support provided by teachers and classmates related to students' self-regulated learning as expressed through self-reported academic initiative, and (2) whether academic competence and school satisfaction mediated these relationships. The data were from a nationally representative…

A central hypothesis of classical motivation theory is that affect underlies motivation and its behavioural manifestations. However, this has been largely ignored in the past 30 years because social cognitivism has been the dominant theory. As a result, studies have concentrated on social cognitive processes when analysing those factors that…

In this article some problems, such as the tests employed to assess motivation, are considered together with suggestions for developing an instrument more in accordance with the achievement motivation theory as represented by the McClelland-Atkinson tradition. (Author/RK)

Studied how achievement motives and incentive values were related to attribution for 166 advanced education majors in Norway. As expected, success-oriented persons attributed positive events more internally, stably, and globally, and negative events more externally, unstably, and specifically, than did failure-avoidant persons. (SLD)

Distinguishing between motivation and cognition in goal-directed activity is discussed; goal and energy are assessed from motivational and cognitive viewpoints. Motivation is a broader concept than cognition. If a problem or goal-solving activity is ego-involving or self-challenging and affects the individual's personal standards, the term…

The Achievement Motives Scale (AMS), constructed by Gjesme and Nygard, was administered to 594 Oslo (Norway) 6th graders and 364 Drammen (Norway) 6th graders. Factor analysis showed the two homogeneous scales of the AMS (tendency to approach success and avoid failure) measure different variables of achievement motive. (LC)

A Norwegian version of the Achievement Motives Scale (AMS) was administered to Oslo sixth-graders, along with verbal, numeric, test anxiety, and lie/defensiveness tests. Results showed the relationships to academic performance predicted by achievement theory. Even when related to the personality scales, the AMS showed promising qualities.…

The relationship between cognitive style, achievement motives, and problem solving performance was investigated in two studies involving a total of 362 Norwegian high school students solving insight problems. Findings support the hypothesis of optimal motivation of Atkinson (1980). (SLD)

A principle component analysis with oblique rotation of the Test Anxiety Scale for Children revealed five cognitive/worry-oriented factors and two emotional/somatic-oriented factors, using data from 849 fifth graders. Achievement motives, future time orientation, and ability were the most important factors, whereas instrumentality revealed itself…

Interaction effects of 524 grade six pupils' achievement motives, ability level, future time orientation, sex, and perceived importance of school activity were considered in relation to approach/avoidance motivation. Achievement scores were positively related to approach motivation; successs-oriented, high-ability girls and moderate-ability boys…