Emotion beliefs and goal setting: Malleability of emotion predicts changes in goal orientation across a semester

Research has demonstrated that lay beliefs about emotions (i.e., whether they are viewed as malleable or fixed) may shape important outcomes in educational performance. Given the prominent role of emotions in learning and goal setting, the present study examined whether emotion beliefs moderated (1) the relationship between the experience of academic emotions and grades and (2) the relationship between academic emotions and shifts in goal setting. Undergraduate students (N =329) enrolled in an introductory psychology course reported on their emotions and goal orientations across two waves of data collection which took place before and after their first two exams. Multiple regression analyses revealed that emotion beliefs moderated the relationship between academic emotions and changes in goal orientation across the semester. Specifically, greater experience of negative outcome-related emotions was associated with decreases in mastery- and performance-avoidance goal orientations among individuals who tended to view emotions as more malleable. On the other hand, for students who felt their emotions were more fixed, change in avoidance goals was not influenced by negative outcome emotions. Our results point to the added benefit in students viewing emotions as malleable, as this perspective may lead to students disengaging less with course material (i.e., decreasing avoidance goal orientations) after learning experiences marked by negative emotions. Overall, our findings provide preliminary support for the inclusion of emotion beliefs in models of academic achievement.