Self-Regulated Learning and Academic Success in Online College Learning

The motivational basis of self-regulated learning lays a solid theoretical framework for education researchers to look closely at the learners' intrinsic motivational factors in enhancing their academic outcomes. Particularly, learners' motivation forces, embedded in the self-regulatory learning (SRL) process, have not been well researched in an online learning environment, yet the correlations to learners' academic success. Hence, the current study employed 713 online university students and focussed on the motivational path rooted in the SRL model to elucidate the extent to which learners' motivational forces contribute to academic achievements. The results indicated that learning goal orientation was positively correlated to academic outcomes, while this correlation was not found to be mediated by academic self-efficacy, engagement, and learning satisfaction in an online learning environment. Further, the correlation between learning goal orientation and learning satisfaction was found to be mediated by academic self-efficacy and learning engagement. Directions for future research on the motivational bases of self-regulated learning are discussed.