Achievement Motivation in Writing: Exploring the Pursuit of Multiple Goals and Keystroke Behaviors During Writing Tasks

Abstract

Few studies have investigated the applicability of structured motivation frameworks across more subjective academic tasks such as writing. By using person-oriented analyses and fine-grained data channels to build upon existing theories of motivation in writing tasks, ongoing research can work towards capturing how motivation impacts students’ writing processes as they unfold. As such, this study examined the occurrence of multiple goal orientation profiles in undergraduate writing students and if those goal profiles differed in the average duration students spent engaging in multiple writing processes. A k-means cluster analysis (n = 60) revealed three student clusters with distinct multiple goal profiles. A one-way MANOVA did not find significant differences in mean keystroke activity times across these profiles, bringing into question the applicability of traditional achievement goal frameworks in writing contexts. Keywords: Achievement Goal Theory, Keystroke Analysis, Motivation, Writing Analytics