In the context of increasing attention to the enhancement of higher education quality and the optimization of learning outcomes, examining the structural relationships among university students’ motivational beliefs, self-regulated learning strategi...
In the context of increasing attention to the enhancement of higher education quality and the optimization of learning outcomes, examining the structural relationships among university students’ motivational beliefs, self-regulated learning strategies, and academic achievement—particularly their mediating effects and underlying pathways—has become a central topic in educational psychology. Although previous research has consistently demonstrated the significant influence of learning motivation and strategic learning behaviors on academic performance, theoretical and empirical gaps remain regarding the multidimensional nature of motivational beliefs, the mediating role of learning strategies, and their cross-cultural applicability. To address these issues, the present study developed an integrated model of “motivational beliefs–self-regulated learning strategies–academic achievement” grounded in social cognitive theory and self-regulated learning theory. The study aimed to answer three core questions: (1) What are the overall levels of university students’ motivational beliefs, self-regulated learning strategies, and academic achievement, and what are the correlations among these variables? (2) Do self-regulated learning strategies mediate the relationship between motivational beliefs and academic achievement? (3) Do the subcomponents of motivational beliefs (i.e., intrinsic goal orientation, extrinsic goal orientation, task value, self-efficacy, learning control beliefs, and test anxiety) influence academic achievement through differentiated pathways?
A quantitative research method was employed, using a sample of 472 university students. Data were collected through a validated questionnaire measuring learning motivation and strategies. Motivational beliefs consisted of six dimensions: intrinsic goal orientation, extrinsic goal orientation, task value, learning control beliefs, self-efficacy, and test anxiety. Self-regulated learning strategies were divided into two categories: cognitive and metacognitive strategies, and resource management strategies. Data analysis was conducted in four stages: first, descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis were performed to reveal the preliminary relationships among variables; second, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the construct validity and reliability of the measurement model; third, structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypothesized path relationships; and finally, the Bootstrap method was applied to test the significance and confidence intervals of the mediating effects.
The results provided systematic answers to the three research questions. First, regarding the relationship between motivational beliefs and learning strategies, task value and learning control beliefs had significant positive predictive effects on learning strategies. Specifically, task value significantly predicted the use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies, while learning control beliefs significantly predicted resource management strategies. In contrast, intrinsic goal orientation, extrinsic goal orientation, self-efficacy, and test anxiety did not show significant predictive effects. This suggests that university students’ learning behaviors are more strongly driven by their sense of task meaning and controllability rather than by external incentives or self-confidence alone. Second, concerning the mediating effect, task value indirectly influenced academic achievement through cognitive and metacognitive strategies, and learning control beliefs indirectly influenced academic achievement through resource management strategies. Both pathways exhibited full mediation effects, indicating that motivational beliefs do not directly influence academic performance but exert their effects through strategic learning behaviors. Third, regarding the differentiated pathways of motivational beliefs, the results revealed a clear “variable–strategy specificity effect” within the motivational belief system: value-oriented motivation (task value) primarily facilitated deep processing and metacognitive regulation; control-oriented motivation (learning control beliefs) enhanced time management and learning environment regulation; while emotion-oriented motivation (test anxiety) did not show a significant positive effect. These findings support the multidimensional structure of motivational beliefs and extend the explanatory power of Expectancy–Value Theory in the context of higher education.
The study’s conclusions enrich the theoretical framework of motivational beliefs and self-regulated learning and offer new insights into the cultural variations of learning motivation. Theoretically, the study elucidates the internal structural differences and pathway characteristics of motivational beliefs, expanding the applicability of self-regulated learning theory in higher education. Practically, the findings highlight the importance of transforming motivational beliefs into strategic learning behaviors: motivation alone is not a universal determinant of achievement—it operates through strategies; strategies do not function in isolation—they are driven by motivation; and different types of motivation activate different strategies, ultimately leading to diverse learning outcomes. Therefore, higher education teaching should focus on enhancing students’ perceived task value and learning controllability, strengthening cognitive and resource management strategies, and constructing a teaching support system centered on motivation activation, strategic guidance, and performance feedback to foster continuous self-regulation and academic growth.