Question 1

Which one of these students definitely has a performance-approach goal?
A)Frank finds a homework assignment too easy to waste his time with.
B)Herb frequently asks questions in class in order to understand new information better.
C)Selena decides to enter the school science fair in hopes of impressing her teacher,classmates,and parents.
D)Rita was somewhat disappointed about her last test score in math. Realizing that people learn from their mistakes,she decides to study harder for the next test using different study strategies.

Accepted Answer

Selena's goal is to demonstrate her competence and gain approval from others, which aligns with a performance-approach goal.

Question 2

Should students ever be allowed to fail at classroom tasks? If we take into account the concept of resilient self-efficacy,the answer is:
A)Yes. Self-efficacy is highest when students fail at a task several times in a row before accomplishing it successfully.
B)Yes. Occasional failures interspersed among frequent successes teach students that perseverance pays off.
C)No. Failure gives students the message that school is not an enjoyable place to be.
D)No. Even a single failure can seriously deflate students' sense of self-efficacy.

Accepted Answer

Occasional failures, when balanced with successes, can teach students resilience and the value of perseverance, enhancing their self-efficacy.

Question 3

Three of the following characterize students with a mastery goal. Which one characterizes students with a performance goal?
A)Thinking that if you have to try hard,you must not be very capable
B)Thinking that you're doing well as long as you're making progress,even though you're not totally successful
C)Seeking out your teacher's guidance when you're having trouble doing something
D)Being bored by easy tasks

Accepted Answer

Students with a performance goal focus on demonstrating their ability and often believe that needing to try hard indicates a lack of capability, which aligns with choice A.

Question 4

Given what motivation theorists tell us about factors that influence the value learners attach to various activities,which one of the following activities are you least likely to value?
A)One that is usually enjoyable
B)One at which you'll have to work exceptionally hard to succeed
C)One that you don't enjoy but is important for career success
D)One that will enable you to obtain desired reinforcement

Accepted Answer

Learners are least likely to value activities that require exceptionally hard work to succeed, especially if they don't see immediate or clear benefits, as the effort may outweigh the perceived value or enjoyment.

Question 5

Which one of the following individuals most clearly has a mastery goal rather than a performance goal?
A)Andrea is in the pool each day at 6:00 a.m.; she's set her sights on earning an Olympic gold medal in swimming.
B)Brandon wants to please his parents by doing well in school.
C)Claude studies science so he can understand what makes things "tick."
D)Darlene never asks questions in class because she's afraid she'll look stupid.

Accepted Answer

Claude studies science to understand how things work, indicating a desire to learn and master the subject, which is characteristic of a mastery goal.

Question 6

Which one of the following alternatives exemplifies situational interest rather than individual interest?
A)Adam finds the Guinness Book of World Records on a library shelf and is intrigued by the strange people it describes.
B)Blaine can't think of anything he'd rather do than play video games with his friends.
C)Chuck spends every weekend working on the 1951 Chevy in his garage.
D)Dave loves to snorkel at the beach and hopes to major in marine biology when he goes to college.

Accepted Answer

Situational interest is temporary and often sparked by the environment or context, such as Adam's intrigue upon finding the Guinness Book of World Records.

Question 7

Listed below are four reasons why students might not want to take their schoolwork seriously or to try very hard to succeed at classroom tasks. Which one of these reasons is consistent with the concept of self-efficacy?
A)Anthony is more interested in horsing around with his friends.
B)Bernice is so anxious in the classroom that she can't think clearly.
C)Carol doesn't think she has the ability to do the work successfully.
D)Danny thinks his teacher doesn't like him.

Accepted Answer

Self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations. Carol's belief that she lacks the ability to do the work successfully is directly related to self-efficacy.

Question 8

Which one of the following illustrates individual interest rather than situational interest?
A)Jennifer is puzzled when a peeled hardboiled egg is suddenly sucked into a bottle after the teacher lights a fire inside the bottle.
B)Trent gets totally wrapped up in the new adventure novel he reads during free time.
C)Riley can't wait to find out what's in the big cardboard box his teacher has brought to school today.
D)Victoria loves ballet and wants to become a ballerina when she grows up.

Accepted Answer

Victoria's love for ballet and her aspiration to become a ballerina demonstrate a long-term, personal interest, which is characteristic of individual interest.

Question 9

Which one of the following statements best reflects the concept of collective self-efficacy?
A)Over time,students develop a general sense of self-efficacy that influences their performance in a wide variety of content domains.
B)As students get older,their self-confidence about performing certain tasks becomes fairly stable and so is less influenced by any single success or failure experience.
C)Students may have greater confidence about accomplishing a task when they work with others rather than alone.
D)Some students have greater self-confidence when they have technological resources (spreadsheet software,Internet access,etc.)to help them in their efforts.

Accepted Answer

Collective self-efficacy refers to the shared belief of a group in their ability to achieve a goal or complete a task, which is reflected in the confidence students may feel when working together.

Question 10

Three of the following statements are accurate descriptions of the effect interest has on learning and performance. Which one is not accurate?
A)Interest in a topic increases the likelihood that students will be cognitively engaged in the topic.
B)Interest in subject matter can help students remember the subject matter over the long-term.
C)Interest decreases the probability of conceptual change.
D)Interest promotes meaningful learning of information.

Accepted Answer

Interest actually increases the probability of conceptual change by motivating students to engage deeply with the material and reconsider their existing beliefs or misconceptions.

Question 11

Which one of the following statements indicates that the speaker is focused on a performance-avoidance goal?
A)"This is my chance to show all my classmates how smart I am."
B)"Boy,I hope I don't get this problem wrong. If I do,I'll look like an idiot."
C)"I'd really like to become a better math student. I hope the teacher gives me feedback about how I can improve my skills."
D)"I need to do well in my science classes so I can get into a good engineering school."

Accepted Answer

The statement "Boy,I hope I don't get this problem wrong. If I do,I'll look like an idiot" indicates that the speaker is more focused on avoiding a negative outcome (looking like an idiot) rather than achieving a positive outcome (showing how smart they are or improving their skills). This is indicative of a performance-avoidance goal orientation.

Question 12

When 14-year-old Jonathan goes out for the high school cross-country team,he discovers that he's the slowest runner on the team. After three weeks of daily practice with the team,his speed and endurance improve little if at all. Given what psychologists have learned about factors that influence the value learners attach to various activities,we can reasonably guess that Jonathan will:
A)Expect greater success as more time elapses.
B)Try to convince his teammates that he's a better runner than he really is.
C)Value cross-country running more than he has previously.
D)Value cross-country running less than he has previously.

Accepted Answer

Jonathan is likely to value cross-country running less because his lack of improvement despite practice may lead to decreased motivation and interest in the activity.

Question 13

Mike desperately wants to do well on the SAT Reasoning Test,because his scores on this test will affect his chances of getting into his first-choice college. He also knows that many students at his school think SAT scores are good indicators of how "smart" one is. Yet the night before the test,rather than get a good night's sleep,Mike goes out with his friends,has a few beers,comes home late,and wakes up with a hangover. With this information in mind,we might suspect that Mike:
A)Is engaging in self-handicapping
B)Is working hard to counteract the effects of stereotype threat
C)Is the victim of situated motivation
D)Has facilitating anxiety about the test

Accepted Answer

Mike's behavior suggests self-handicapping, where he creates obstacles to his own success to have an excuse for potential failure.

Question 14

Which one of the following students clearly has a performance goal rather than a mastery goal?
A)Alec judges his own performance on the basis of how his classmates do.
B)Blanche always does more than her teacher requires.
C)Christina persists when she encounters a difficult mathematics problem.
D)Devon is bored by easy assignments.

Accepted Answer

Alec's focus on comparing his performance to his classmates indicates a performance goal, which is about demonstrating ability relative to others, rather than a mastery goal, which focuses on learning and self-improvement.

Question 15

Jane has a high sense of self-efficacy regarding her ability to work effectively and creatively with wood. Based on this information,we would predict three of the following. Which one of the following would we not necessarily predict?
A)Jane will frequently choose activities that involve working with wood.
B)Jane will be a bit careless when she works with wood,so she will frequently make silly little mistakes.
C)Compared to Joan,who has low self-efficacy,Jane will do a better job at woodworking tasks.
D)If Jane has difficulty at a task requiring her woodworking skills,she will tend to "try,try again" until she gets it right.

Accepted Answer

High self-efficacy typically leads to careful and persistent efforts, not carelessness.

Question 16

Marion puts off doing a project for the science fair until she has so little time to do it that she cannot possibly complete a good project. Such behavior is most consistent with the concept of:
A)Self-fulfilling prophecies
B)Non-resilient self-efficacy
C)A mastery goal
D)Self-handicapping

Accepted Answer

Self-handicapping is when individuals create obstacles or excuses to avoid blame for potential failure, which aligns with Marion's behavior of procrastinating on her project.

Question 17

Three of the following characterize students with a performance goal. Which one characterizes students with a mastery goal?
A)Looking at classmates' performance as an indication of how well they're doing
B)Doing something they know they'll be good at
C)Trying to memorize definitions word for word
D)Concluding that they need to work harder when they fail

Accepted Answer

Students with a mastery goal focus on learning and understanding, so when they fail, they conclude they need to work harder to improve their skills and knowledge.

Question 18

The four children below are all learning how to play the piano. Which one of them best illustrates the role of value in motivation?
A)Angie takes piano lessons mainly because her parents insist that she does.
B)Beth thinks her teacher has asked her to play a piece of music that is too difficult for her.
C)Mia thinks that it's important to develop her musical ability to be a "well-rounded" person.
D)Dena is afraid of how embarrassed she'll be if she makes a mistake.

Accepted Answer

Mia's motivation is driven by the value she places on developing her musical ability, which aligns with the concept of value in motivation.

Question 19

Only one of the following definitely illustrates high self-efficacy. Which one do we know for sure has a high self-efficacy?
A)Amy believes that she is a good singer.
B)Bertha swims the fastest butterfly on the swim team.
C)Carmen enjoys being with her friends.
D)Danielle recently got a score of 120 on an intelligence test.

Accepted Answer

High self-efficacy refers to a person's belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations. Amy's belief in her singing ability directly reflects her self-efficacy in that area.

Question 20

When Scott was first learning how to write,he wrote quickly and sloppily,without regard for how his papers looked. But his teachers praised him regularly for writing carefully and legibly,and eventually he began to pride himself on his neat and careful handwriting. This transition can best be described as:
A)Acquiring an external attribution for neat and careful handwriting.
B)Internalizing the value of neat and careful handwriting.
C)Developing situational interest in neat and careful handwriting.
D)Developing extrinsic motivation for neat and careful handwriting.

Accepted Answer

Scott's transition shows that he internalized the value of neat and careful handwriting, as he began to take pride in it, indicating an internal motivation rather than external or situational factors.

Quiz 5: Motivation and Affect

Which one of these students definitely has a performance-approach goal?

Should students ever be allowed to fail at classroom tasks? If we take into account the concept of resilient self-efficacy,the answer is:

Three of the following characterize students with a mastery goal. Which one characterizes students with a performance goal?

Given what motivation theorists tell us about factors that influence the value learners attach to various activities,which one of the following activities are you least likely to value?

Which one of the following individuals most clearly has a mastery goal rather than a performance goal?

Which one of the following alternatives exemplifies situational interest rather than individual interest?

Listed below are four reasons why students might not want to take their schoolwork seriously or to try very hard to succeed at classroom tasks. Which one of these reasons is consistent with the concept of self-efficacy?

Which one of the following illustrates individual interest rather than situational interest?

Which one of the following statements best reflects the concept of collective self-efficacy?

Three of the following statements are accurate descriptions of the effect interest has on learning and performance. Which one is not accurate?

Which one of the following statements indicates that the speaker is focused on a performance-avoidance goal?

Which one of the following students clearly has a performance goal rather than a mastery goal?

Jane has a high sense of self-efficacy regarding her ability to work effectively and creatively with wood. Based on this information,we would predict three of the following. Which one of the following would we not necessarily predict?

Marion puts off doing a project for the science fair until she has so little time to do it that she cannot possibly complete a good project. Such behavior is most consistent with the concept of:

Three of the following characterize students with a performance goal. Which one characterizes students with a mastery goal?

The four children below are all learning how to play the piano. Which one of them best illustrates the role of value in motivation?

Only one of the following definitely illustrates high self-efficacy. Which one do we know for sure has a high self-efficacy?