The role of social-academic goals in Chinese students’ self-regulated learning

Abstract

The role of mastery and performance goals in self-regulated learning (SRL) has received much attention. However, in collectivist and Confucian-heritage contexts, social-academic goals may also play an important, yet unexamined role in SRL. This study examined the association between social-academic goals and SRL. We tested a hierarchical model which posited higher-order social-academic goals (social reasons for doing well academically: parent-oriented goals and social status goals) as predictors of lower-order academic achievement goals (specific concrete aims: mastery goals and performance goals), which in turn predicted SRL strategy use. Participants were 11th-grade students from a developed metropolitan area (n = 449) and an underdeveloped rural area (n = 553) in China. Structural equation modeling showed that social status goals were significantly associated with mastery goals and that parent-oriented goals were positively associated with performance-avoidance goals across both groups. Students’ social status goals had an indirect effect on SRL strategy use through academic achievement goals, while parent-oriented goals had a direct effect on SRL strategy use. Reasons for the findings and implications for motivating students in collectivist contexts are discussed.