The Relationship between Achievement Goal Orientation and Academic Achievement in Senior Secondary School Students: The Mediating Effect of Self-Regulated Learning

Abstract

Academic achievement is not only an indicator of students’ learning outcomes but also a predictor of their future academic well-being, social adaptation, and career development. The achievement goal, as a basic component of the achievement motivation of the individual, has the potential to pose significant impacts on student academic performance. According to the achievement goal orientation theory, student achievement goals include the performance approach goal, performance avoidance goal mastery approach goal, and mastery avoidance goal. This article is a close examination of the relation between the achievement goal orientation and academic achievement in Chinese senior secondary school students as well as the mediating effect of self-regulated learning on this relationship. The research is based on a longitudinal survey of academic results of 1,389 10th and 11th graders within six months.