An Achievement Goal Perspective on Student Help Seeking and Teacher Help Giving in the Classroom: Theory, Research, and Educational Implications

Abstract

The primary function of classroom teachers is to help students learn. An important aspect of the learning process is asking questions about material one does not understand. When students work independently, monitor task performance, and recognize difficulties they cannot overcome on their own, attempting to remedy these difficulties by requesting assistance from a more knowledgeable individual can be an effective strategy. Unfortunately, students often fail to take the initiative to obtain needed help with school-work. Students often sit passively, waiting for the teacher to come to them. They may be afraid that if they ask for help, classmates will think they are incompetent. Or, if they do ask for help, students often do so in what might be considered a non adaptive way. Sometimes they ask for assistance when it is not necessary—for example, when they have not first attempted the work on their own. They may be more interested in just getting the answer than in understanding the assignment. And sometimes students ask questions simply to get attention from either the teacher or classmates.