Natl Med J India
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Previous research on medical students' motivation mostly overlooked an important concept, namely, mastery-avoidance goals. The mastery-avoidance goal is defined as engaging in a task to avoid losing knowledge or skills that have already been acquired. We aimed to explore the role of mastery-avoidance goals in changes occurring in low frustration tolerance (LFT) levels over a span of one academic year. This approach enables us to understand which type of motivational orientation is expected to explain most adaptive educational outcomes. ⋯ The findings suggest that what matters is not merely the level of motivation, but rather the type of motivational orientations that students pursue. Encouraging students to improve their current skills, while discouraging competitiveness and reducing fear of losing competence, may enhance the effectiveness of medical training programmes.