The Intersection of Students' Perceptions of Instrumentality, Self-Efficacy, and Goal Orientations in an Online Mathematics Course

The theoretical foundations of this research were Future Time Perspective ( Simons et al., 2004 ) and Expectancy × Value ( Wigfield & Eccles, 2002 ) theories of motivation. The goals of the current study were to better understand (1) the relationship of endogenous perceptions of instrumentality to student self-efficacy, self-regulation, and goal orientation during the semester; (2) the relative influence of endogenous perceptions of instrumentality, self-efficacy, self-regulation, and goal orientation on course performance; (3) the unique contribution of endogenous perceptions of instrumentality, self-efficacy, self-regulation, and goal orientation to course performance; and (4) the potential change in student endogenous perceptions of instrumentality and self-efficacy during the semester of study in relationship to course performance. Four hundred and eighty seven undergraduate students' enrolled in an online introductory algebra course participated in this study. Results indicated that, after controlling for self-efficacy and endogenous perceptions of instrumentality at the beginning of the semester, students' self-regulation, self-efficacy, and endogenous perceptions of instrumentality at the end of the semester predicted 24% of the variance in student course performance. Students' self-reported goal orientations at the beginning of the semester were not related to their course performance.