Outcome focus up against process focus in academic engagement of distance education students

Abstract Students in distance education face high demands for self-regulation, within which goal focus can play varying roles. The current study examined the (in)congruence between outcome and process-focused goals, and whether the nature and degree of this (in)congruence are associated with academic engagement in distance higher education, considering the moderating role of the relative centrality of the academic domain (RCA). The sample consisted of 1324 undergraduate students (75.5% women; M Age = 30.89, SD = 10.24) of the Faculty of Psychology at FernUniversität in Hagen who enrolled in a regular online psychology course. Descriptive results indicated age-related differences, with emerging adult students (18–25 years old) reporting higher outcome focus. Women scored higher on academic engagement. The Response Surface Methodology (RSM) results indicated a discrepancy rather than an alignment of goal focus. The incongruence is related to increased engagement (i.e., vigor, absorption, and dedication). Furthermore, the negative relation between goal (in)congruence and academic engagement becomes stronger with the high relative centrality of the academic domain (RCA). Understanding and identifying adaptive patterns of goal focus and distance education students’ engagement have implications for course design and development, in turn, enhancing academic engagement and reducing dropout rates.