Browsing by Author "Alanko, Akipekka"

Achievement goal orientations depict studying motivation and they are related to academic achievement. Yet, the means to support the developing achievement goal orientations in childhood require further examination especially in the case of children with special educational needs (SEN). Musical and physical activity may enhance learning but the associations with achievement goal orientations remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine what kinds of goal orientation groups occur among 3rd to 4th graders within one and half years, and how integrated music and physical education are related to the achievement goal orientations. Migrant background and SEN were observed as demographic factors. Finally, between groups comparisons were analyzed in terms of academic achievement in mathematics. The participants (N = 52) were comprised of four classes of which three received integrated music and physical education three times a week for two school years. The fourth class received usual curricular education during the experiment. Twenty students had special educational needs and eleven spoke some other language than Finnish as their first language. Teacher questionnaires were used to collect data from students’ achievement goal orientations and mathematical achievement was evaluated using RMAT and MATTE tests in three time points. Goal orientation groups were formed using K-means cluster analysis and between groups comparisons were analyzed with cross-tabulation and nonparametric tests. Three distinctive goal orientation groups were found in each time point: mastery, performance and avoidance goal oriented. No significant difference was found between the integrated education group and the usual curricular group in their achievement goal orientations. Instead, goal orientations tended to develop more maladaptive among students with SEN – especially if their first language was other than Finnish. Mastery oriented students’ mathematical achievement differed significantly from the avoidance oriented ones’.