The Causal Relationship between Internal Motivation, Academic Engagement and Academic Self-Regulation with Academic Performance mediated by Self-Directed Learning in High School Students in Bandar Abbas

The purpose of this study was to investigate the causal relationship between academic motivation, academic engagement and self-regulation with academic performance mediated by self-directed learning. To this end, in the proposed model, academic motivation, academic engagement and academic self-regulation as a predictor of academic performance and self-directed learning as a mediating variable have been evaluated.

The statistical population consisted of all high school students of Bandar Abbas, The study sample were 390 people (195 girls and 195 boys) that selected randomly. In this study, self-regulation learning, self-directed learning, academic engagement and internal motivation questionnaires were used to collect data. The proposed model was evaluated using structural equations modeling.

The results showed that all path coefficients between variables were statistically significant. In this model, the relationship between academic motivation, academic engagement and academic self-regulation with academic performance was positive and significant. Also, the relationship between self-directed learning and academic performance was positive and significant. Indirect relationships were investigated using bootstrap method, which showed that all indirect assumptions were confirmed.

The findings of the research generally supported the role of motivational variables in academic performance and considered and emphasized self-directed learning as a mediator variable in the relationship between these variables and academic performance. Accordingly, it is recommended that school counselors and teachers consider the self-directed learning in the instruction process.