Students’ multiple state goals as a function of appraisals, trait goals, and their interactions

Abstract Although many motivational theories have emphasized that person- and situation-based aspects should be recognized simultaneously when explaining actual learning behavior, not much is known about the occurrence of state goals. The model of adaptive learning (Boekaerts & Niemivierta, 2000) proposes that state goals are influenced by trait goals, perceptions of the situation (i.e., appraisals), and interactions between trait goals and appraisals. Nevertheless, empirical evidence for this model is scarce. The present study aimed to overcome this research deficit by integrating trait goals and appraisals as well as their interactions in explaining state goals in authentic learning episo…