# Understanding Motivation in Early Childhood: Disentangling the Links Among Curiosity, Mindset, and Goals

## TL;DR

This study explores how curiosity, mindset, and goals relate to academic motivation in young children.

## Contribution

The paper identifies distinct motivational constructs in early childhood and their interrelations.

## Key findings

- Curiosity is linked to growth mindset instability and mastery goals.
- Performance and mastery goals are positively associated but not tied to growth mindset beliefs.

## Abstract

Children’s academic motivation declines with grade, beginning in early elementary school, so a better understanding of young children’s motivation is needed. Measuring motivational constructs in children is a necessary start to this goal with a focus on children’s curiosity, mindset, and achievement goal orientations—all shown to be consistently related to academic success across developmental periods. In 212 6–10-year olds, factor analyses showed separate factors for each of the expected constructs. Curiosity positively related to growth mindset instability—but not malleability—beliefs, and mastery goal orientations, and achievement goal orientations (performance, mastery) were positively associated, though they did not relate to growth mindset beliefs. Disentangling the observed associations that diverge from the prior literature can help to identify promising future directions for supporting children’s motivation and learning.