Mastery-avoidance goals are not significantly related to anxiety or depression¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · quant-synthesisr2·q4
Currency · newest study 2024 · checked against its sources 2026-10-21 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q4 i? Mastery-avoidance goals show no significant pooled relation with anxiety (k = 3) or depression (k = 4). → Diaconu-Gherasim 2024
Evidence¶
Diaconu-Gherasim 2024¶
Diaconu-Gherasim, L. R., Elliot, A. J., Zancu, A. S., Brumariu, L. E., Măirean, C., Opariuc-Dan, C., & Crumpei-Tanasă, I. (2024). A Meta-Analysis of the Relations Between Achievement Goals and Internalizing Problems. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09943-5
q4 · i? · quant-synthesis · r2
Random-effects meta-analysis for mastery-avoidance goals and anxiety (Table 2): pooled r = .08, 95% CI −.02 to .18 crossing zero; based on only 3 samples with extreme heterogeneity (I² = 88.40%).
"Mastery-avoidance 3 .08 –.02 to .18 -1.19 to 1.36 17.23*** 88.40"
Diaconu-Gherasim 2024 (2)¶
Diaconu-Gherasim, L. R., Elliot, A. J., Zancu, A. S., Brumariu, L. E., Măirean, C., Opariuc-Dan, C., & Crumpei-Tanasă, I. (2024). A Meta-Analysis of the Relations Between Achievement Goals and Internalizing Problems. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09943-5
q4 · i? · quant-synthesis · r2
Random-effects meta-analysis for mastery-avoidance goals and depression (Table 3): pooled r = −.13, 95% CI −.05 to .32 crossing zero; only 4 samples, I² = 97.25%.
"Mastery-avoidance 4 –.13 –.05 to .32 –.75 to 1.03 109.16*** 97.25"
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Achievement Goal Orientation — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Related Claims¶
- Mastery-approach goals are negatively related to depression (r = −.18) across 36 samples — related
- Performance-avoidance goals are positively related to both anxiety (r = .25) and depression (r = .16) — related
- Performance-approach goals are positively related to anxiety (r = .15) but not significantly related to depression (r = .05) — related
- Publication bias is indicated for the performance-approach and performance-avoidance anxiety effects but not for the depression effects — related
- The goal–internalizing relations are moderated by goal terminology, goal setting, education level, goal model, and cultural context — related
- Mastery-approach goals are negatively related to anxiety (r = −.10) across 34 samples — related
- Mastery-avoidance goals show no significant association with academic dishonesty — related
- Higher trait depression, anxiety, and negative emotionality are associated with setting higher baseline goals (Study 1) — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
mastery-avoidance-goals-null-internalizing |
title |
Mastery-avoidance goals are not significantly related to anxiety or depression |
description |
Mastery-avoidance goals are not significantly related to anxiety or depression |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
weak |
newest_evidence |
2024 |
source_checked |
2026-10-21 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-21 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
2 — diaconu-gherasim-2024, diaconu-gherasim-2024-2 |
Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.