Understanding the relations between achievement goals and self-regulated learning: a multiple goal perspective

Abstract

The primary objective was to investigate the relations between college students’ achievement goals and their engagement in self-regulated learning using a person-centered approach. College students (N = 364) completed surveys that assessed mindset, self-efficacy, anxiety, achievement goals, and self-regulated learning. Latent profile analyses identified three types of achievement goal profiles: high all, high approach, and low performance. Results showed that self-efficacy and anxiety were significantly associated with the achievement goal profiles. Students who reported high levels of self-efficacy but low levels of anxiety were more likely to endorse the high approach profile. In addition, we found significant mean-level differences across the achievement goal profiles for students’ reported engagement in self-regulated learning concurrently (time management, procrastination) and later in the semester (motivational regulation, environment management). Students in the high approach profile demonstrated the most adaptive pattern of self-regulated learning. Overall, findings provide support for a multiple goal perspective that endorsing both mastery-approach and performance-approach goals can be beneficial.