Profiling Achievement Motivation of Middle School Students at Risk for Learning Difficulties Using Diagnostic Classification Model

Jiyung Hwang^*

• Drake University, Des Moines, United States

The purpose of this study was to examine the patterns of achievement motivation for middle school students at risk for learning difficulties using a diagnostic classification model framework. Data for this study were taken from the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment sample, a representative sample of the population of 15-year-old students in each country, with 4,639 U.S. students included in this study. Achievement motivation was presented at two levels: the achievement goal level and the motive dispositions level. In this study, achievement goal included three types of goal orientation: mastery, performance approach, and performance avoidance. For the motive dispositions, the researcher focused on three motive dispositions that affect goal adaptation: competitiveness, perseverance, and fear of failure. To achieve the goal of this study, researchers first created a theoretical achievement motivation map (Q-matrix) based on achievement goal theory. We then examined both the achievement motivation attribute prevalence of each attribute and the overall tendency of mastery patterns of achievement motivation for students both at risk and not at risk for learning difficulties. The findings of this study can be summarized as follows: First, the validity of Q-matrix developed in this study was confirmed. Second, for the prevalence of achievement motivation attribute, the not-at-risk group returned a higher mastery probability in the attributes of mastery goals, performance approach goals, competitiveness, and perseverance, whereas the at-risk group returned a higher mastery probability in the performance avoidance goal attribute. Third, for the mastery patterns of achievement motivation, achievement of mastery goal was the most prevalent pattern observed in both groups. In the second-highest latent classes, we identified some distinctive patterns between the not-at-risk and at-risk groups. Specifically, most of the students who were not at risk for learning difficulties adopted mastery goal and performance approach goals combined, mastery goal combined with competitiveness, or mastery goal and performance approach goal combined with competitiveness, whereas students at risk adopted mastery goal, mastery goal and performance avoidance goal combined, and no goals adopted with no motive dispositions presented. Educational implications are provided for supporting adaptive motivation for students at risk for learning difficulties.