422 / 2020-02-28 14:14:31

When are Performance-approach Goals More Adaptive for Chinese L2 Learners? It Depends on the Underlying Reasons

performance-approach goals, goal complex, L2 self-efficacy, L2 anxiety

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Achievement-goal theorists have debated for years about whether having performance-approach goals (i.e., the desire to outperform others) constitute a maladaptive form of students’ motivation. Recently, researchers proposed that students’ reasons underlying their performance-approach goals may further our understanding of the nature of performance-approach goals. The present study examined the function of students’ performance-goal complex (i.e., reasons underlying performance goals) on students’ language-learning correlates (L2 self-efficacy and L2 anxiety). As a cross-sectional study (with 283 Chinese college EFL-learners), we assessed their Achievement-Goals and Performance-approach goal Complex. Conducting a series of multiple regressions with SPSS, and path-analysis with Mplus, the results verified that students’ autonomous and controlled reasons for adopting performance-approach goals were related to patterns of outcomes beyond performance-approach goals alone with respect to students’ L2 self-efficacy and L2 anxiety. Results showd that students’controlled reasons for performance-approach goals had a significant direct effect on their L2 anxiety (positive) and L2 self-efficacy (negative). Autonomous reasons predict L2 self-efficacy (positively) and L2 anxiety (negatively) indirectly through their performance-approach goals. We conclude that among Chinese L2 learners in a university-setting, performance-approach goals undergirded by autonomous reasons can positively predict Chinese students’ L2 self-efficacy and negatively predict L2 anxiety. Whereas, controlled motivation is maladaptive to L2 self-efficacy significantly, and positively predicted students’ L2 anxiety.