Abstract
How one thinks about or conceptualizes a goal has important consequences for the motivational features of goal pursuit. Two experiments tested the hypothesis, inspired by work on meaning in life, action identification theory, and expectancy-value theory, that high-level construal of an academic goal should enhance motivation to pursue that goal. In each experiment, we manipulated high-level versus low-level construal of an academic goal and assessed several variables related to the goal: the perceived meaningfulness of the goal, motivation to pursue the goal, and goal self-concordance. Supporting the hypothesis, individuals who thought about their academic goal in a high-level manner viewed their goal as more meaningful, reported being more motivated to pursue the goal, and reported the goal to be more self-concordant. Implications and future directions are discussed.
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Notes
Some researchers have emphasized conceptual distinctions between the constructs of meaning and purpose (e.g., Damon et al. 2003; Heintezelman and King 2014). According to these views, purpose is associated with a goal or motivational direction and is externally oriented, whereas meaning is a broader concept that includes a sense of purpose in addition to feelings of coherence and significance in one’s life. In the current investigation, our assessment of goal meaningfulness reflects the broader conceptualization of meaning, while explicitly assessing purpose as a constituent component of that meaning.
To examine potential demand characteristics in both studies, we asked participants to respond to the question “In your own words, what was the purpose of the experiment?” after completing the experiment. A review of the responses revealed that while participants sometimes identified the experiment as examining their goals, motivation, and/or sense of purpose in general, they did not identify the specific hypotheses and relationships being tested.
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Davis, W.E., Kelley, N.J., Kim, J. et al. Motivating the academic mind: High-level construal of academic goals enhances goal meaningfulness, motivation, and self-concordance. Motiv Emot 40, 193–202 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-015-9522-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-015-9522-x