Achievement Goals for Research: In-depth Studies

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In the proposed project, we aim to provide new knowledge and insights concerning the impact of faculty members’ achievement goals within the research domain. To do this, we build upon the preceding project in which we clarified the structure, separability, and relevance of faculty members’ achievement goals for their professional behaviors in the teaching domain. In the proposed project, we plan to (1) comprehensively elucidate developmental processes of achievement goals in the work context, (2) study the relevance of achievement goals for professionalization at work, dealing with setbacks, and successfully mastering relevant career steps, and (3) investigate the interplay between achievement goals when adapting to the work context. To investigate these aims regarding achievement goals in the research domain, we plan to conduct five quantitative studies. In Study 1 (N = 279 researchers, cohort sequential design), we will investigate the antecedents of developmental trends in researchers’ achievement goals in two cohorts (start of PhD, transition to Post-Doc). In Study 2 (N = 3600 researchers, multilevel design), we will examine contextual effects on achievement goals based on data derived from four different scientific systems (Germany, Norway, South Africa, South Korea), 80 scientific institutions, and three prototypical subject areas of interest. Study 3a (N = 159 researchers, laboratory experiment) aims to provide insights into the impact of researchers’ achievement goals on how they react to failure. We will further solidify these findings in Study 3b (N = 109 researchers, field study) by investigating how achievement goals matter for researchers’ reactions to real decisions regarding their submissions to a scientific conference. Lastly, in Study 4 (N = 290 researchers, micro-longitudinal study with ambulant assessment), we will investigate the interplay of achievement goals between the teaching and the research domains by studying goal conflicts and goal synergy. The impact of professional motivation on faculty members’ affect, behavior, and cognition remains a largely unexplored frontier in higher education research. We are certain that the proposed research program will further our understanding of the necessary preconditions for the development of optimal motivation in this important field of work. This knowledge has central implications for the development of a motivation-supportive work environment in the scientific domain.