When taking the stage at 麻豆原创鈥檚 Milbank Chapel, Andrew J. Elliot recalled a simple yet pivotal moment in his college career that inspired his scholarship today. An avid college baseball player with a competitive spirit, Elliot was determined to never lose a game. Yet in his final year of the sport, he began to wonder why he was losing motivation for a sport he once loved, always focusing on possible unfavorable outcomes. Through self reflection, he found that avoidance motivation, the act of avoiding a negative outcome, was at play.
鈥淵ou may have heard the adage 鈥楻esearch is me-search,鈥� and in this case, it鈥檚 absolutely true,鈥� explained Elliot, this year鈥檚 annual Tisch Lecturer and Visiting Professor 鈥� who has dedicated his career to examining avoidance motivation as Professor of Psychology at the University of Rochester.
Here are just a few key takeaways from Elliot鈥檚 recent lecture on avoidance motivation, especially in educational settings:
Trying to Avoid Failure Negatively Impacts Performance
Elliot鈥檚 work focuses largely on performance goals and outcomes. He explains that a performance-avoidance goal (the desire to avoid performing more poorly than others do) has been shown to negatively impact performance, while the effects of a performance-approach goal (trying to outperform others) often result in positive outcomes and self-awareness.
鈥淔ear of failure is embedded in us and it takes long-term work to change,鈥� shares Elliot. 鈥淭here is long-term work on trying to understand that failure isn't necessarily shameful.鈥�
Through an empirical study with a group of 229 undergraduate students, Elliot assessed goals in the classroom and how they impacted student outcomes. He found that students with performance approach goals had better learning outcomes, higher test scores, and positive self reflection in the classroom. Meanwhile, students with performance avoidance goals often displayed self-doubt and poor exam performance.
Practice Self-Awareness and Positivity at an Early Age
More broadly, Elliot asks the question of whether individuals understand how their goals influence academic performance, a concept known as metamotivation. These are facets of his 鈥�2x2 Achievement Goal Model,鈥� a framework created to examine both positive and negative approaches to success. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a model that's driven a lot of the work that I've done,鈥� he shares.
Yet the importance of establishing goals early on puts parents, educators, and leaders in the driver鈥檚 seat. This means promoting valuable coping strategies and positive reinforcement at an early age is critical. 鈥淪mall classroom efforts like changing language emphasis from 鈥渁void mistakes鈥� to 鈥渕istakes are the way to learn鈥� make a huge difference,鈥� explains Elliot.
鈥淲e should strive to teach people under our charge which are the best and worst performance goals and why. That's what I'm doing today with you,鈥� concludes Elliot. 鈥淚'm giving you information that's valuable to your achievements.鈥�
Listen to Elliot鈥檚 full lecture above.