The relationship between motivating tasks and academic resiliency: The mediating role of mastery goals and perceived competence

In academic situations, having the opportunity to succeed and rebuild learning increases students' self-confidence in achieving success. Teaching such learners the path to progress and showing the results of hard work makes them strive to master the learning situation. The result is a sense of control and autonomy along with a sense of value. Such instance causes the learner to insist, commit, and work harder without fear of failure to achieve success. Therefore, the importance of the present study is to theoretically determine and discover the model or how to place individual and environmental factors affecting academic resilience. From a practical point of view, this study aims to clarify the importance of individual and environmental factors affecting resilience in education. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between motivating tasks and academic resiliency and Also determination mediating role of mastery goals and perceived competence.

The present study utilizes a correlational research method using causal relationship modeling methods. The research method applied to this study was structural equation modeling. The target population of the study comprised Tehran universities students who were studying at education and psychology faculties in the academic year of 2014-2015. The sample consisted of 414 students who were selected by random cluster sampling method. In other words, the sampling unit was the classes rather than the individuals. The instruments used in this study were: Classroom Goals Structures, Achievement Goal Orientation, Perceived Competence Scale and Academic Resiliency Questionnaire.  

The results revealed that motivating tasks has direct effect to predict academic resiliency. Furthermore, mastery goals and perceived competence mediated the relationship of motivating tasks with academic resiliency. Discussion and implications of the results are presented in the study.

Based on this, it can be concluded that the setting of attractive and motivating tasks leads to the adoption of goals of mastery, self -esteem and control over the learning position of learners. Based on research results, the assignment variable as an extrinsic variable directly affects the resilience variable (dependent variable) and also through intermediate variables (proficiency goals and competency perception). In addition, the significance of the error estimation of each of the constructs shows that other external factors can also affect the relationship of the variables of this study with academic resilience. Based on this, it is suggested that other factors such as internal or external motivation and functional goals by learners be investigated as variables affecting the structural model. In order to apply the results of this research, it is recommended that academic centers be designed in such a way that learners face attractive and challenging tasks and provide them with the opportunity to succeed and experience a sense of competence.