Dynamic or Static Goal Regulation: Implications of Weak and Strong Bonds Between Autonomous/Controlled Reasons and Aims for Achievement Goal Striving

Achievement goals have been key concepts for describing what motivates individuals in educational contexts. While achievement goals have often merely been conceptualized in terms of aspired end-states (aims of goal striving), contemporary research has proposed a more holistic perspective synthesizing these aims alongside autonomous versus controlled reasons derived from Self-Determination Theory into so-called achievement goal complexes. How these aims and reasons align is a matter of further discussion. An overview of empirical studies on goal complexes as well as associations between achievement goals and overarching goal systems reveals that aims differ in whether they show strong communality (static goal regulation) or rather high situational fluctuation regarding underlying reasons (dynamic goal regulation). Particularly, mastery aims show primarily strong bounds with autonomous reasons, whereas performance aims are more ambiguously aligned with underlying reasons. This has implications for the development of an overarching theory as well as for educational practice aiming to foster certain goals and goal complexes. Potential avenues for future research such as further investigations into goal valence, a broader set of aims, the impact of culture, and goal development are discussed.