Congruence between students’ and teachers’ goals: implications for social and academic motivation

This study examined student–teacher goal congruence and its relation to social and academic motivation. Based on a sample of 97 ninth-graders, high levels of goal congruence for each of the four goals measured (prosocial, responsibility, learning, performance) was positively related to student interest in class and perceived social support from teachers. In addition, learning goal congruence was related to adaptive control beliefs (i.e., higher levels of internal control beliefs and lower levels of powerful others control beliefs). The implications of goal congruence for understanding student social and academic motivation are discussed.