Understanding Motivation‐Mindsets in English Learning: The Roles of Basic Psychological Needs, Anxiety, and English Achievement

ABSTRACT

This study examined joint profiles of motivation and mindsets among 392 secondary school students in Hong Kong and their associations with basic psychological need satisfaction (BPNS), English learning anxiety, and English achievement. Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified four distinct profiles: extrinsic‐fixed, intrinsic‐growth, average‐motivated, and conflicted‐motivated. Multinomial logistic regression showed that autonomy, competence, and relatedness satisfaction significantly predicted profile membership, with competence satisfaction showing the largest estimated odds ratio for intrinsic‐growth versus extrinsic‐fixed membership. The outcomes differed sharply across the profiles. The intrinsic‐growth profile attained the highest English proficiency and lowest anxiety, while the extrinsic‐fixed profile obtained the lowest English test scores and reported high anxiety. Notably, students in the conflicted‐motivated profile reported relatively high perceived proficiency but had lower‐than‐average actual proficiency. Their anxiety was high and did not differ significantly from that of the extrinsic‐fixed profile. These findings highlight distinct combinations of motivation and mindsets and their associations with BPNS, anxiety, and English achievement.