Maryum Ijaz (MPhil, 2016-2018) Supervisor: Farah Malik, PhD
The current study was conducted to investigate the relationship of academic goal orientation and goal adjustment in undergraduate university students with pre-professional certificate by taking academic coping strategies as mediator. It was hypothesized that there would be positive relationship between goal orientation academic coping strategies (approach and social support) and goal adjustment, avoidance coping strategy would be negatively related with goal orientation and goal adjustment and academic coping strategies would mediate the relationship between goal orientation and goal adjustment. A sample of 222 undergraduate students was drawn with an age range of 19-22 years (M = 19.34, SD = 1.03) using purposive sampling technique. Achievement Goal Questionnaire (Elliot & Murayama, 2008), Academic Coping Strategies Scale (Sullivan, 2010) and Goal Adjustment Scale (Wrosch, Scheier, Miller, Schulz & Carver, 2013) were administered in Urdu. Results of Pearson product moment correlation showed that goal orientation was significantly positively related with academic coping strategies and goal adjustment. Results also indicated negative relationship between goal orientation and avoidance and social support coping strategies. The result of mediation through Hierarchical regression indicated that academic coping strategies were significant mediators between goal orientation and goal adjustment. Demographic variables were also important predictors in the study. The results were discussed in Pakistani socio-cultural context.
Keywords: Academic goal orientation, academic coping strategies, goal adjustment, pre-professional certificate.
