Chinese adolescents' achievement goal profiles and their relation to academic burnout, learning engagement, and test anxiety

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore achievement goal profiles and their relation to academic burnout (emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and efficacy), learning engagement, and test anxiety in a Chinese educational context. Five goal profiles—high all, low all, mastery-oriented, moderate all, and approach-oriented—were identified through latent profile analysis. The approach-oriented profile was the most adaptive with less academic burnout, more learning engagement, and lower test anxiety, followed by the mastery-oriented profile. The high all profile, representing the highest proportion of Chinese adolescents, seemed not to exert more negative influence on students' learning than the mastery-oriented profile except with greater negative emotional experiences. The relation of achievement goal profiles to learning engagement and test anxiety was mediated by emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and efficacy in some cases. This study contributes to deep understanding of achievement goals among Chinese adolescents.