Short-term and long-term consequences of achievement goals: Predicting interest and performance over time

Why do some students excel in their college classes and develop interest in an academic discipline? The authors examined both the short-term and long- term consequences of students' achievement goals in an introductory psychol ogy course. Mastery goals positively predicted subsequent interest in the c ourse, but not course grades. Performance goals positively predicted grades , but not interest. Three semesters later, the authors obtained measures of continued interest in the discipline and long-term performance. Mastery go als predicted subsequent enrollment in psychology courses, whereas performa nce goals predicted long-term academic performance. These positive and comp lementary effects of mastery and performance goals on different measures of academic success are consistent with a multiple-goals perspective in which both goals can have beneficial consequences in college education.