In the eye of the beholder: Do adult students’ achievement goal orientation profiles predict their perceptions of instruction and studying?

•Adult students in an unique educational context were examined.•A learning environment questionnaire was developed.•Four homogenous groups were identified based on students’ achievement goal orientations.•Students with a more adaptive motivational profile gave more positive evaluations.

The purpose of this study was to examine how adult students’ perceptions of their learning environment vary as a function of their achievement goal orientations. Study 1 (n = 196) reports the development of a questionnaire that focuses on aspects of instruction presumably linked to student motivation. In Study 2, students (n = 167) were classified into groups according to their goal orientation profiles, and then compared in terms of their evaluations of the learning environment and their relation to it. Students with different motivational profiles perceived the learning environment somewhat differently, with most differences reflecting the students’ view of their own role in studying. The findings will be discussed in terms of how personal and contextual factors contribute to the development of individuals’ motivation.