One for All or All for One? Do Principal's and Teacher's Goal Orientations Affect Students’ Achievement in Reading, Spelling and Vocabulary?

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether the motivation of principals and teachers plays a significant role on the achievement of elementary school students. Participants were 193 elementary school students who attended grades 3 through 6 of 2 schools in a large metropolitan area of Greece. Students’ achievement in language was estimated using normative scales. Teachers’ motivation was assessed using Elliot's achievement goal measure. Data were analyzed using mixed modeling due to the hierarchical structure of the data. Results indicated that there were no differences between principal and teacher's adoption of goals. Further analyses focused on teachers and indicated that their adoption of mastery goals (approach or avoidance) were positive predictors of students’ achievement in reading comprehension. Performance approach goals were negative predictors of both reading comprehension and spelling. Last, performance avoidance goals were positive predictors of vocabulary. It is concluded that teachers motivational dispositions play a significant role in the achievement levels of their students.