This study aimed to examine influences of students, goal preferences and goal structures on their help-seeking during mathematic problem solving. Two hundred boy students in 8th grade randomly were selected. These students were low, median or high in ability mathematic problem solving. They scored two scenarios about mastery or performance hypothetical classrooms. Then, they solved 6 difficult mathematic problems under mastery or performance conditions. The results showed that: 1) Students in mastery condition, seek more help than those in performance condition. Moreover, the low ability students in performance condition asked less questions than similar peers in mastery condition. This result is in agreement with vulnerability hypothesis and shows that the influence of goal structures depends on students, ability level. 2) It revealed that students with high ability followed the more efficiency strategies (hints) than those with low ability. Furthermore, in mastery condition (but not in performance condition) students with low ability, look more at answer sheets than those with high ability. Also low ability group in mastery condition (than those in performance condition) look more at the answer sheets. The evidence is in agreement with vulnerability hypothesis and it is evident that the effect of goal structures depends on students, ability in doing tasks. 3) The students have performance preferences, in mastery condition (than similar peers in performance condition) asked more confirmation.
Pakdaman, M., Farzad, V., Sarmad, Z., & Khanzadeh, A. (2008). Students, Help-seeking during Problem-solving: Influences of Goal Preferences and Goal Structures. Journal of Modern Psychological Researches, 2(8), 33-63.
MLA
Majid Pakdaman; Valiollah Farzad; Zohreh Sarmad; Ali Khanzadeh. "Students, Help-seeking during Problem-solving: Influences of Goal Preferences and Goal Structures". Journal of Modern Psychological Researches, 2, 8, 2008, 33-63.
HARVARD
Pakdaman, M., Farzad, V., Sarmad, Z., Khanzadeh, A. (2008). 'Students, Help-seeking during Problem-solving: Influences of Goal Preferences and Goal Structures', Journal of Modern Psychological Researches, 2(8), pp. 33-63.
VANCOUVER
Pakdaman, M., Farzad, V., Sarmad, Z., Khanzadeh, A. Students, Help-seeking during Problem-solving: Influences of Goal Preferences and Goal Structures. Journal of Modern Psychological Researches, 2008; 2(8): 33-63.
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