Impact of Motivational Goal Orientations on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Emotional Engagement in Iranian EFL Learners
Subject Areas :Zahra Nazari 1 , Elaheh Sadeghi Barzani 2 , Fatinaz Karimi 3
1 - English Department, Shahreza Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahreza, Iran
2 - استادیار دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد خوراسگان
3 - Islamic Azad University, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch
Keywords: Achievement Goal Theory (AGT), Behavioral Engagement, Cognitive Engagement, Emotional Engagement, Mastery Goal Orientation, Performance Goal Orientation,
Abstract :
This study investigates the impact of Iranian EFL learners' motivational goal orientations on their behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement in the classroom. Utilizing a mixed-methods design, the research involved 200 intermediate EFL learners from language schools in Iran, who completed the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT), a Goal Orientation Survey, and a Student Engagement Questionnaire. The results show that mastery goal orientations, both approach and avoid, positively predict these engagement dimensions, while performance goal orientations do not significantly affect engagement. The findings highlight the importance of fostering mastery goals to enhance student engagement and improve language learning outcomes. The implications of this study suggest that educators should create a supportive learning environment that emphasizes mastery goals, thereby facilitating deeper engagement and better academic performance among EFL learners. This study investigates the impact of Iranian EFL learners' motivational goal orientations on their behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement in the classroom. Utilizing a mixed-methods design, the research involved 200 intermediate EFL learners from language schools in Iran, who completed the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT), a Goal Orientation Survey, and a Student Engagement Questionnaire. The results show that mastery goal orientations, both approach and avoid, positively predict these engagement dimensions, while performance goal orientations do not significantly affect engagement. The findings highlight the importance of fostering mastery goals to enhance student engagement and improve language learning outcomes. The implications of this study suggest that educators should create a supportive learning environment that emphasizes mastery goals, thereby facilitating deeper engagement and better academic performance among EFL learners.
Ames, C. (1992). Classrooms: Goals, structures, and student motivation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(3), 261-271. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.84.3.261
Appleton, J. J., Christenson, S. L., & Furlong, M. J. (2008). Student engagement with school: Critical conceptual and methodological issues of the construct. Psychology in the Schools, 45(5), 369-386.
Dweck, C. S. (1986). Motivational processes affecting learning. In R. J. Sternberg & J. E. Davidson (Eds.), Conceptions of intelligence and development (pp. 95-133). New York: Academic Press.
Elliot, A. J., & McGregor, H. A. (2001). A 2 × 2 achievement goal framework. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(3), 501-519. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.80.3.501
Fredericks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59-109. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074001059
Greene, B. A., & Miller, R. B. (1996). Influences on achievement: Goals, perceived ability, and cognitive engagement. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 21(2), 181-192.
Harackiewicz, J. M., Barron, K. E., & Elliot, A. J. (1998). Rethinking achievement goals: When are they adaptive for college students and why? Educational Psychologist, 33(1), 1-21.
Kaplan, A., & Maehr, M. L. (2007). The contributions and prospects of goal orientation theory. *Educational Psychology Review*, 19, 141-184.
Midgley, C., Kaplan, A., & Middleton, M. (2001). Performance-approach goals: Good for what, for whom, under what circumstances, and at what cost? Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(1), 77-86.
Miller, A. (2019). Goal orientation and academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 31(4), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09480-5
Pekrun, R., & Linnenbrink-Garcia, L. (2012). Academic emotions and student engagement. In S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly, & C. Wylie (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Student Engagement (pp. 259-282). Springer.
Pintrich, P. R. (2000). The role of goal orientation in self-regulated learning. In M. Boekaerts, P. R. Pintrich, & M. Zeidner (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation (pp. 451-502). Academic Press.
Reeve, J., & Tseng, C. (2011). Agency as a fourth dimension of student engagement. Educational Psychologist, 46(3), 197-207. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2011.598503
Skinner, E. A., & Belmont, M. J. (1993). Motivation in the classroom: Reciprocal effects of teacher behavior and student engagement across the school year. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85(4), 571-581. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.85.4.571
Wang, M. T., & Eccles, J. S. (2013). School context, achievement motivation, and academic engagement: A longitudinal study of school engagement using a multidimensional perspective. Learning and Instruction, 28, 12-23.