The Role of Achievement Goals Orientation and Self-Regulation on Predicting College Students’ Academic Performance

Introduction: Environmental factors, motivational characteristics, and cognitive strategies play an important role in students’ academic performance. The main objective of this study was to investigate the role of achievement goals orientation and self-regulation in predicting academic performance among male and female college students. Methods: This study was conducted based on assumptions of correlational studies. Sample included 280 students of nursing and midwifery randomly selected from Mahabad Islamic Azad University during 2011-2012 academic years. Predicting variables were achievement goals orientation as well as self-regulation strategies, and academic performance was criterion variable. Measurement tools included a demographic checklist, achievement goals and self-regulation strategies questionnaires and grade point average of students’ academic performance. Results: Correlation matrix showed that the highest correlation was observable respectively between variables of self-regulation and academic performance, mastery goal orientation and performance - approach goals, and finally self-regulation with performance-approach goals. Path analysis showed that self-regulation has positive and significant direct effect on students, and the performance - approach goals has negative and significant direct effect on academic performance. Finally, the effect of mastery orientation was positive and significant on academic performance. Conclusion: According to the findings, self-regulation makes a significant mediate role between motivational factors and academic performance for nursing and midwifery students. There was a significant directional association between performance-trend orientation and dominance orientation with self-regulation.