The impact of adolescent achievement goal orientation on learning anxiety: The mediation effect of peer interaction

Haiyan Kong; Guangfeng Wang; Dazhi Cheng; Tian Li

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1095498

The impact of adolescent achievement goal orientation on learning anxiety: The mediation effect of peer interaction

Front Psychol. 2023 Mar 28:14:1095498. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1095498. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Haiyan Kong¹, Guangfeng Wang², Dazhi Cheng³, Tian Li⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Education, Shandong Women's University, Jinan, China.
² School of Psychology, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China.
³ School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Learning anxiety is one of the most critical emotional disturbances, which also has a high incidence rate in adolescents. Peer interaction is critical and unique for adolescents. Although previous studies have found that achievement goal orientation has an important role in the development of learning anxiety, its mechanism has not been clarified. This study surveyed 470 adolescents (191 middle school students and 279 high school students; 211 boys) and established a structural equation model to explore the mediating role of peer interaction in the influence of achievement goal orientation on learning anxiety. Results showed that (1) there were significant gender differences in mastery-avoidance goal orientation, peer interaction, and learning anxiety, and there were grade differences in performance-approach goal and performance-avoidance goal orientations; (2) mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, and performance-avoidance goal orientations directly predicted learning anxiety; and (3) social anxiety in peer interactions had a mediating effect on the influence of mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, and performance-avoidance goal orientations on learning anxiety. The findings extend theoretical considerations by teasing out the process of peer interaction affecting the relationship between achievement goal orientation and learning anxiety. Additionally, the results have practical implications for the effective use of peer interaction to reduce learning anxiety.

Keywords: achievement goals; adolescents; learning anxiety; peer interaction; social anxiety.

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Youth and Innovation Science and Technology Support Plan of Shandong Province (2021RW022) and the Scientific Research Fund for High-Level Talents of Shandong Women’s University (2020RCYJ09).