Beliefs, emotions, and goals: Relating high school students’ achievement goal profiles to their distinct attitudes toward mathematics

Abstract Educational reform efforts call for promoting positive attitudes toward mathematics, which predict students’ intentions to pursue advanced mathematics. Prior research has also shown students’ attitudes are related to their classroom goals, but these studies often lack nuance. This study used multiple regression analyses to examine how advanced Algebra 2 students’ classroom goals relate to their attitudes toward mathematics. Results showed that students’ goal profiles predicted their enjoyment, anxiety, and value, but not their confidence. Overall, students who placed a great emphasis on learning as much as possible reported the most positive attitudes, while those who placed minimal emphasis on learning reported the most negative attitudes. Among those who focus on learning with only a moderate concern for avoiding poor performance, students who consistently earn top mathematics grades reported less enjoyment and greater anxiety than those who do not earn top grades. As teachers’ instructional practices can influence students’ goals, implications for promoting positive attitudes toward mathematics in the classroom are discussed.