Self-regulated learning and motivational beliefs: Findings from a survey of EFL undergraduates in Afghanistan

The concept of self-regulated learning in the field of educational psychology has been developed to comprehend how students learn autonomously. Motivation is a pivotal factor in learners' academic outcomes, and its connection with self-regulated learning is extensive. While self-regulated learning and motivational beliefs are both believed to play important roles in EFL learning, very little is known about their interplay in the Afghan context, and research on the relationship among these variables seems scarce. Therefore, to contribute to this knowledge gap, the overarching aim of the present survey was to investigate the phenomenon of self-regulated learning and motivational beliefs among EFL learners in higher education. Quantitative research was carried out on a sample size of 123 EFL learners. The data was collected through a survey questionnaire and analysed using SPSS v24 where both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics such as one-way ANOVA, correlation, and regression were used. The findings indicated that the majority of the learners experience a high level of test anxiety. Further, the results also revealed that there was a significant positive correlation between motivational beliefs and selfregulated learning. Foreign language learning can be enhanced by designing environments in a way that fosters self-regulated learning skills. Further research could be conducted with a larger sample size from other public universities to generate a more fine-grained understanding.