When groups experience conflict: intersection among undergraduates’ individual and group motivational goals, project commitment, and emotions

Given the prevalence of group project assignments in college coursework, it is surprising that the extensive literature on achievement goal orientations has rarely included students’ experiences during an assigned group project, especially when group conflict among group members is reported. Data came from online responses of 660 undergraduates (394 women; from all schools/colleges; all levels but 46% seniors; nearly half white/Caucasian but 22% of Asian and 13% Latin background). Multivariate multiple regression analysis was used to predict three outcomes (students’ project commitment, positive emotions, and negative emotions), testing as predictors students’ motivational goals, at both individual and group levels (Models 1 and 2), as well as their perceptions of intragroup conflict (Model 3). Fit tests of the multivariate regressions indicated that adding a measure of intragroup conflict to students’ individual and group motivational goals significantly improved the prediction of project commitment and negative (but not positive) emotions.