The role of social goal orientation and academic help-seeking behavior on mathematics achievement of primary students

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of students' social goal orientation and academic help seeking behavior on their mathematics achievement. Data were collected from 930 Grade 8 primary school students in Ethiopia. The data were analyzed using the Smart-PLS software, specifically the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the expected 2-factor structure of social goal orientation and the 3-factor structure of academic help seeking behavior. The results of structural equation modeling analyses indicated that (a) social goal orientation positively predicted both academic help-seeking behavior and mathematics achievement, and (b) academic help seeking behavior had a significant positive impact on mathematics achievement. The research highlights the importance of social goal orientations and academic help seeking behavior in order to understand students' behavior and achievement in school. Moreover, the result confirmed that students’ academic help seeking behavior is more academically related behavior, which boosts learning and achievement. Therefore, the results provide evidence to suggest that researchers and practitioners should focus on improving students' social goal orientation and academic help-seeking behavior, which, in turn, would enhance their academic achievement.