Business Education Department, Faculty of Technical and Science Education, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, P.M.B. 5080, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
Nwokocha, P.I., Business Education Department, Faculty of Technical and Science Education, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, P.M.B. 5080, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria; Akpomi, M.E., Business Education Department, Faculty of Technical and Science Education, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, P.M.B. 5080, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria; Nnadi, M.A., Business Education Department, Faculty of Technical and Science Education, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, P.M.B. 5080, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
Over the past 25 years, achievement goal theory has emerged as one of the most prominent theories of achievement motivation. This study uses an achievement goal framework to examine the influence of classroom goal structure on students' academic performance and attitude toward mathematics. Three hundred and fifty (350) students in four, non-residential co-educational secondary schools were randomly assigned to experimental and control structures. Students in each structure were exposed to the learning strategies of the structure they were in. The control group had no instructions; it was simply the convention class. Data on the relevant variables were obtained from the mean scores of each structure on the two tests. Using ANOVA for the analysis, the results revealed that students in the co-operative goal structure were significantly different from the students in the competitive, individualistic and control settings in the mathematics achievement test. There was, however, no statistically significant difference among students in all the four modes in the mathematics attitude measure. Implications of the findings are discussed and recommendations made. © EuroJournals Publishing, Inc. 2008.