Relationship between goal orientation and academic self-concept with desire for school with the mediating role of students' academic retention

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between goal orientation and academic self-concept with desire for school with the mediating role of students' academic retention. This study is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-correlational in terms of data collection method. The primary girls in Rahimabad were 1767 people and 251 people were selected as a statistical sample using cluster random sampling method. Research data were collected through a questionnaire (Wang et al., 2011; Martin and Marsh, 2008; Elliott and McGregor, 2001; Lee Yu and Wang, 2005). The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by its visual and content methods and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha. SPSS and LISREL software were used in data analysis. The research findings indicate that the goal orientation and academic self-concept have a direct and indirect positive relationship with school motivation. There is a positive and significant relationship between goal orientation and academic persistence and students' desire for school. There is a positive and significant relationship between academic self-concept with academic retention and students' desire for school. Academic persistence plays a mediating role in the relationship between goal orientation and academic self-concept with school enthusiasm. The results showed that by improving the academic self-concept and improving the goal orientation, it is possible to increase academic retention and increase students' desire for school.