To Be or Not to Be (Challenged), That Is the Question: Task and Ego Orientations Among High-Ability, High-Achieving Adolescents

Abstract

The relevance and significance of goal-orientation theories to high-ability, high-achieving adolescents were studied. A questionnaire was administered to 158 adolescents who attended summer residential programs for the gifted. The author used confirmatory factor analysis to assess the discriminant validity of goal constructs and structural equation modeling to test the major hypothesis that task and ego orientations influence the learner's task choice and persistence. The results of the study showed that this group of adolescents, despite having achieved high levels of success in school, were not free from ego concerns, including fear of failure and of not living up to the high expectations of peers and teachers. The results also indicated that ego orientations may be more detrimental to achievement motivation for girls than for boys.