Achievement goals, academic engagement and performance: The mediating role of self‐regulated learning strategies

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to analyse how university students' achievement goals are associated with two distinct academic outcomes: academic performance and academic engagement (i.e., cognitive, affective and behavioural). Also, it investigated the potential mediating role of cognitive and metacognitive self‐regulation learning strategies in these relationships. Participants in the study were 316 Romanian university students (70.3% female). Results showed that only mastery‐approach goals had an indirect association with academic performance through the use of self‐regulated learning cognitive strategies. Further, mastery‐approach goals were positively related, whereas performance‐avoidance goals were negatively associated with all three dimensions of academic engagement. Performance‐approach goals were positively associated only with behavioural engagement. Moreover, students' use of self‐regulated learning cognitive and metacognitive strategies significantly mediated only the relationships between mastery‐approach goals and the dimensions of academic engagement. Findings are discussed in terms of educational implications, emphasising the contribution of self‐regulated learning strategies and achievement goals in improving students' academic performance and engagement.