Motivational Processes That Support Arts Participation: An Examination of Goal Orientations and Aspirations

In- and out-of-school participation in the arts has been shown to be positively associated with students' academic and nonacademic outcomes. Despite this finding, little work has examined the motivational processes that underpin arts participation, either as separate types (e.g., active vs. receptive) or as an overarching factor. However, given the positive outcomes linked with arts participation, there may be yields in examining the motivational processes that foster arts participation over time. The present investigation drew on possible selves and growth-oriented conceptualizing to examine one such motivational process. Specifically, the investigation examined the role of growth goal orientations and arts aspirations, two core growth components of possible arts selves, in students' curriculum-related, active, and receptive arts participation. Using longitudinal structural equation modeling, with a sample of N = 643 Australian middle and high school students, the investigation examined the extent to which students' growth goal orientations predicted their arts aspirations at Time 1, and the extent to which both factors predicted gains in curriculum-related, active, and receptive arts participation one year later (Time 2). Findings indicated that growth goal orientations predicted arts aspirations, and arts aspirations predicted significant gains in arts participation. Taken together, these findings suggest that growth goal orientations and arts aspirations form a motivational process that supports increased curriculum-related, active, and receptive arts participation.