rep. Revista Española de Pedagogía

Achievement Goals Tendencies Questionnaire (AGTQ, Hayamizu and Weiner, 1991) was administered in a sample of 2.022 adolescents (48.9% female) with ages ranging from 12 to 16 years (M = 13.81; SD = 1.35) to analyze the gender and grade differences in academic goals. The results revealed that the academic goals varied significantly according to gender and grade of students. The girls presented a significantly higher motivational orientation toward learning goals and performance goals, while the boys showed a significantly a higher motivational profile toward social reinforcement goals. The orientation toward learning goals and performance goals increased significantly with academic grades, from 2º to 4º and from 1º to 4º of compulsory secondary education, respectively. Contrarily, the motivational orientation toward social reinforcement goals diminished significantly with the years from 1º to 3º and to 4º of compulsory secondary education. Beatriz Delgado, Cándido J. Inglés, José M. García-Fernández, Juan L. Castejón y Antonio Valle

Key Words: Learning Goals, Social Reinforcement Goals, Performance Goals, Gender, Grade, Secondary Education