While motivational regulation strategies (MRSs) both as a core facet of self-regulated learning and as a pedagogical issue have attracted increasing attention from researchers and practitioners, what motivational regulation strategies learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) or English as a second language (ESL) tend to use and how these strategies may be associated with learner motivational beliefs in English learning remain under-researched. To fill this research gap, this study aims to contribute to a holistic understanding of Chinese EFL students’ use of MRSs and its relations to English learning motivational beliefs. Data were collected from 638 non-English major undergraduate students through two self-report questionnaires in a College English Course context. Results showed that students reported high frequency use of performance-enhancement or interest-related strategies while reporting using other types of regulation strategies (e.g. performance-avoidance self-talk) to a lesser extent. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses suggested that among the four types of motivational beliefs investigated in this study, control of learning beliefs, intrinsic goal orientation, and extrinsic goal orientation were the top three most powerful predictors of the students’ use of MRSs in English learning. Pedagogical implications and directions for future research were also discussed.
AmesC. (1992). Classrooms: Goals, structures, and student motivation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84, 261–271.
2.
AnamS.StrackeE. (2016). Language learning strategies of Indonesian primary school students: In relation to self-efficacy beliefs. System, 60, 1–10.
3.
BanduraA. (2006). Guide for constructing self-efficacy scales. In PajaresF.UrdanT.S. (Eds.), Self-efficacy beliefs of adolescents (pp. 307–337). Information Age.
4.
BaiB.GuoW. (2021). Motivation and self-regulated strategy use: Relationships to primary school students’ English writing in Hong Kong. Language Teaching Research, 25, 378–399.
5.
BaiB.WangJ. (2020). The role of growth mindset, self-efficacy and intrinsic value in self-regulated learning and English language learning achievements. Language Teaching Research, 27, 207–228.
6.
BaiB.WangJ.ChaiS. (2019). Understanding Hong Kong primary school English teachers’ continuance intention to teach with ICT. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 34, 528–551.
7.
BoekaertsM. (1996). Self-regulated learning at the junction of cognition and motivation. European Psychologist, 1, 100–112.
8.
BrislinR.W. (1970). Back-translation for cross-cultural research. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 1, 185–216.
9.
BrownT.A. (2014). Confirmatory factor analysis for applied research. Guilford.
10.
DörnyeiZ. (2001). Motivation strategies in the language classroom. Cambridge University Press.
11.
DörnyeiZ. (2005). The psychology of the language learner: Individual differences in second language acquisition. Lawrence Erlbaum.
12.
DuncanT.G.McKeachieW.J. (2005). The making of the motivated strategies for learning questionnaire. Educational Psychologist, 40, 117–128.
13.
EcclesJ.S.WigfieldA. (2002). Motivational beliefs, values, and goals. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 109–132.
14.
ElliotA.J. (1999). Approach and avoidance motivation and achievement goals. Educational Psychologist, 34, 169–189.
15.
ElliotA.J.McGregorH.A. (2001). A 2 × 2 achievement goal framework. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 501–519.
16.
EngelschalkT.SteuerG.DreselM. (2016). Effectiveness of motivational regulation: Dependence on specific motivational problems. Learning and Individual Differences, 52, 72–78.
17.
HairJ.BlackW.BabinB.AndersonR. (2010). Multivariate data analysis: A global perspective. Pearson Education.
18.
HamiltonR.AkhterS. (2009). Construct validity of the motivated strategies for learning questionnaire. Psychological Reports, 104, 711–722.
19.
HauK.T.SaliliF. (1991). Structure and semantic differential placement of specific causes: Academic and causal attributions by Chinese students in Hong Kong. International Journal of Psychology, 26, 175–183.
20.
HooperD.CoughlanJ.MullenM. (2008). Evaluating model fit: A synthesis of the structural equation modelling literature. In: Seventh European Conference on research methodology for business and management studies, London (pp. 195–200). Academic Conferences and Publishing.
21.
IlishkinaD.I.de BruinA.PodolskiyA.I.VolkM.I.van MerriënboerJ.J. (2022). Understanding self-regulated learning through the lens of motivation: Motivational regulation strategies vary with students’ motives. International Journal of Educational Research, 113, 101956.
22.
KlineR.B. (2011). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. 3rd edition.Guilford Press.
23.
KormosJ.CsizérK. (2014). The interaction of motivation, self-regulatory strategies, and autonomous learning behavior in different learner groups. TESOL Quarterly, 48, 275–299.
24.
KryshkoO.FleischerJ.GrunschelC.LeutnerD. (2022). Self-efficacy for motivational regulation and satisfaction with academic studies in STEM undergraduates: The mediating role of study motivation. Learning and Individual Differences, 93, 102096.
25.
KryshkoO.FleischerJ.WaldeyerJ.WirthJ.LeutnerD. (2020). Do motivational regulation strategies contribute to university students’ academic success?Learning and Individual Differences, 82, 101912.
26.
LiemA.D.LauS.NieY. (2008). The role of self-efficacy, task value, and achievement goals in predicting learning strategies, task disengagement, peer relationship, and achievement outcome. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 33, 486–512.
27.
LinY.-G.McKeachieW.J.KimY.C. (2003). College students’ intrinsic and/or extrinsic motivation and learning. Learning and Individual Differences, 13, 251–258.
28.
MaL.JiaoY.XiaoL.LiuQ.LiuJ. (2022). Patterns of motivational beliefs among high-, medium-, and low-achieving English learners in China. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-2022-0108
29.
MaL.XiaoL.LiuJ. (2021). Motivational beliefs of urban and rural students in English as a foreign language learning: The case of China. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2021.1991933
30.
ManavipourD.SaeedianY. (2016). The role of self-compassion and control belief about learning in university students’ self-efficacy. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 5, 121–126.
31.
MieleD.B.ScholerA.A. (2018). The role of metamotivational monitoring in motivation regulation. Educational Psychologist, 53, 1–21.
32.
OxfordR.L. (1990). Language learning strategies: What every teacher should know. Newbury House.
33.
OxfordR.L. (2013). Teaching and researching language learning strategies. 2nd edition.Pearson.
34.
PerryR.HladkyjS.PekrunR.PelletierS. (2001). Academic control and action control in the achievement of college students: A longitudinal field study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 776–789.
35.
PintrichP.R. (2000). The role of goal orientation in self-regulated learning. In BoekaertsM.PintrichP.R.ZeiderM. (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation: Theory, Research, and Applications (pp. 451–502). Academic Press.
36.
PintrichP.R. (2003). A motivational science perspective on the role of student motivation in learning and teaching contexts. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 667–686.
37.
PintrichP.R. (2004). A conceptual framework for assessing motivation and self-regulated learning in college students. Educational Psychology Review, 16, 385–407.
38.
PintrichP.R.MarxR.W.BoyleR.A. (1993). Beyond cold conceptual change: The role of motivational beliefs and classroom contextual factors in the process of conceptual change. Review of Educational Research, 63, 167–199.
39.
PintrichP.R.SchunkD.H. (2002). Motivation in education: Theory, research, and applications. 2nd edition.Prentice Hall.
40.
PintrichP.R.SmithD.A.GarciaT.McKeachieW.J. (1991). A manual for the use of the motivated strategies for learning questionnaire (MSLQ). University of Michigan.
41.
RyanR.M.DeciE.L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68–78.
42.
SchwingerM.OtterpohlN. (2017). Which one works best? Considering the relative importance of motivational regulation strategies. Learning and Individual Differences, 53, 122–132.
43.
SchwingerM.SteinmayrR.SpinathB. (2009). How do motivational regulation strategies affect achievement: Mediated by effort management and moderated by intelligence. Learning and Individual Differences, 19, 621–627.
44.
SchwingerM.Stiensmeier-PelsterJ. (2012). Effects of motivational regulation on effort and achievement: A mediation model. International Journal of Educational Research, 56, 35–47.
45.
SchwingerM.von der LadenT.SpinathB. (2007). Strategien zur Motivationsregulation und ihre Erfassung [Motivational regulation strategies and their measurement]. Zeitschrift für Entwicklungspsychologie und Pädagogische Psychologie, 39, 57–69.
46.
ScholerA.A.MieleD.B.MurayamaK.FujitaK. (2018). New directions in self-regulation: The role of metamotivational beliefs. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 27, 437–442.
47.
SmitK.de BrabanderC.J.BoekaertsM.MartensR.L. (2017). The self-regulation of motivation: Motivational strategies as mediator between motivational beliefs and engagement for learning. International Journal of Educational Research, 82, 124–134.
48.
TengL.S. (2021). Individual differences in self-regulated learning: Exploring the nexus of motivational beliefs, self-efficacy, and SRL strategies in EFL writing. Language Teaching Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211006881
49.
TengL.S.YuanR.E.SunP.S. (2020). A mixed-methods approach to investigating motivational regulation strategies and writing proficiency in English as a foreign language contexts. System, 88, 1–12.
50.
TengLS.ZhangL.J. (2016). Fostering strategic learning: The development and validation of the Writing Strategies for Motivational Regulation Questionnaire (WSMRQ). The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 25, 123–134.
51.
TheobaldM. (2021). Self-regulated learning training programs enhance university students’ academic performance, self-regulated learning strategies, and motivation: A meta-analysis. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 66, 101976.
52.
TrautnerM.SchwingerM. (2020). Integrating the concepts self-efficacy and motivation regulation: How do self-efficacy beliefs for motivation regulation influence self-regulatory success?Learning and Individual Differences, 80, 101890.
53.
WeinerB. (1986). An attributional theory of motivation and emotion. Springer.
54.
WigfieldA.EcclesJ.S. (1992). The development of achievement task values: A theoretical analysis. Developmental Review, 12, 265–310.
55.
WigfieldA.EcclesJ.S. (2000). Expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 68–81.
56.
WigfieldA.EcclesJ.S.FredricksJ.A., et al. (2015). Development of achievement motivation and engagement. In LambM.E.LernerR.M. (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology and developmental science: Socioemotional processes (pp. 657–700). John Wiley & Sons.
57.
WoltersC.A. (1998). Self-regulated learning and college students’ regulation of motivation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90, 224.
58.
WoltersC.A. (1999). The relation between high school students’ motivational regulation and their use of learning strategies, effort, and classroom performance. Learning and Individual Differences, 11, 281–299.
59.
WoltersC.A. (2003). Regulation of motivation: Evaluating an underemphasized aspect of self-regulated learning. Educational Psychologist, 38, 189–205.
60.
WoltersC.A. (2011). Regulation of motivation: Contextual and social aspects. Teachers College Record, 113, 265–283.
61.
WoltersC.A.BenzonM.B. (2013). Assessing and predicting college students’ use of strategies for the self-regulation of motivation. Journal of Experimental Education, 81, 199–221.
62.
WoltersC.A.PintrichP.R. (1998). Contextual differences in student motivation and self-regulated learning in mathematics, English, and social studies classrooms. Instructional Science, 26, 27–47.
63.
WoltersC.A.RosenthalH. (2000). The relation between students’ motivational beliefs and their use of motivational regulation strategies. International Journal of Educational Research, 33, 801–820.
64.
YanC.GaoY.HeC. (2020). Examining Chinese EFL postgraduates’ motivational regulation strategies. Frontiers of Education in China, 15, 250–278.
65.
ZhangY.N.DongL.Q. (2022). A study of the impacts of motivational regulation and self-regulated second-language writing strategies on college students’ proximal and distal writing enjoyment and anxiety. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 938346.
66.
ZhengC.LiangJ.C.LiM.TsaiC.C. (2018). The relationship between English language learners’ motivation and online self-regulation: A structural equation modelling approach. System, 76, 144–157.
67.
ZimmermanB.J. (2000). Attaining self-regulation: A social cognitive perspective. In BoekaertsM.PintrichP.ZeidnerM. (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation (pp. 13–39). Academic Press.
68.
ZimmermanB.J. (2008). Investigating self-regulation and motivation: Historical background, methodological developments, and future prospects. American Educational Research Journal, 45, 166–183.
69.
ZimmermanB.J. (2013). From cognitive modeling to self-regulation: A social cognitive career path. Educational Psychologists, 48, 135–147.
