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.     

Discipline problems at teachers’ colleges: lessons for lecturers and students

This case study worked with 80 lecturers drawn from Israeli teachers’ colleges who reported that they face relatively few discipline problems; most appeared to be related to low motivation and/or dishonest behaviour. They treated each case in an ad hoc way, responded mildly and avoided imposing sanctions. It is argued that the student teachers’ misconduct could have been used by their lecturers as excellent raw material to analyse the conditions in which problems are likely to occur in the school classroom, as well as to discuss possible underlying motivation of the provocative conduct, and to suggest ways for teachers to cope with these situations. Unfortunately, the lecturers did not draw any connections between the misbehaviour of the student teachers and the skills and moral values prospective teachers need to possess. The lack of transference from the college setting to the student teachers’ experience in the classroom is discussed with regard to the current highly competitive climate in which colleges must attract students.