Developmental Characteristics of Achievement Motivation and Its Longitudinal Relations with Social Support Among Undergraduates: A Three-Wave Study

Abstract

This study examined the developmental features of undergraduates’ achievement motivation and its longitudinal relations with social support. A total of 106 students from one university were tracked across three waves at four-month intervals. The motive to approach success (Ms) and the motive to avoid failure (Mf) were assessed with the Achievement Motives Scale, and social support with the Perceived Social Support Scale. Latent growth curve models (LGCM) and cross-lagged panel models (CLPM) were estimated in Mplus. Results showed that: (1) over the eight-month period, neither Ms nor Mf changed significantly at the group level, yet significant intercept variances indicated marked individual differences at baseline; (2) social support positively predicted subsequent Ms only in the later phase (T2→T3, β = .34, p < .001) and was only marginal earlier, suggesting a time lag in the conversion of support into approach motivation; (3) social support positively predicted subsequent Mf in the early phase (T1→T2, β = .21, p = .015), opposite to the hypothesized direction, suggesting that the immediate effect of support may first activate defensive avoidance; and (4) for the reverse paths, Ms significantly predicted later social support (T2→T3), whereas Mf did not. Social support and achievement motivation thus showed an asymmetric, staged “disturb-then-focus” pattern. The findings extend the temporal scope of conservation of resources theory and suggest that institutions provide emotional acceptance before goal-oriented support