To be able to learn innovation competencies, pupils need to have opportunities for problem solving in pedagogical innovation processes. Goal orientation has a motivational power for individual engagement in innovative activity. Goal orientation is understood as an individual disposition toward developing one’s ability in achievement settings. It is a way to set goals for learning and working to achieve results. The aim of the study was to understand what the typical features of the most general goal orientations – learning, performance and avoidance orientation – were in a group of 5th and 6th grade comprehensive education pupils (N=19) within a case of hydrocopter design and manufacture competition as a pedagogical innovation process in craft, design and technology education (CDTE) -subject. The pupils were interviewed, and the qualitative data was analysed in a theory-driven content analysis. The results revealed that learning orientation was recognised as pupils’ eagerness and enthusiastic commitment to the task of designing and manufacturing a quick hydrocopter. In performance orientation the commitment was neutral, and pupils managed the task while in avoidance orientation pupils had no interest to fulfil the task and did it with low efforts. However, with this data we do not know what factors were behind the learning orientations. The results cannot be generalized widely due to the nature of qualitative data and the size of the sample. However, the results help to understand how pupils with different goal orientations engage in learning tasks in CDTE. This is important information for teachers when they plan their teaching and proactively consider how to support pupils with various goal orientations in pedagogical innovation processes, even in competitions.
Key Words: Goal orientation (tavoiteorientaatio), Pedagogical innovation process (pedagoginen innovaatioprosessi), Competition (kilpailu), Motivation (motivaatio).
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Pupils’ Goal Orientations in a Pedagogical Innovation Process
Lindfors, E., Heinola, V., & Kolha, S. (2018). Pupil’s goal orientations in a pedagogical innovation process: A competition to design and manufacture quick hydro copters. PATT36 International Conference. Research and Practice in Technology Education: Perspectives on Human Capacity and Development, Athlone Institute of Technology, Co. Westmeath, Ireland, 302-308
