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

Hashmatullah Tareen
Shaanxi Normal University, China
Mohammad Tahir Haand, Attaullah Muhammadi
Kandahar University, Afghanistan
BaoHui Zhang
Shaanxi Normal University, China

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 self-regulated 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.
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Authors: Hashmatullah Tareen MEd TESL is a Senior Teaching Assistant in the Department of English at Kandahar University, Kandahar, Afghanistan. He has a masters degree in teaching English as a second language from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Shah Alam, Malaysia. He is currently a PhD student in curriculum and methodology at Shaanxi Normal University, Xian, China. His areas of research are teaching and learning, student-centred learning in higher education. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8808-2618 Email: hashmatt2@gmail.com Mohammad Tahir Haand received his BA in English language and literature and MA degree in linguistics from Osmania University, India, in 2018. Mr Haand is a lecturer at the Department of English Language and Literature, Education Faculty, Kandahar University, Afghanistan. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4142-2619 Email: tahirhaand@gmail.com Attaullah Mohammadi is currently a lecturer in Pashto Language and Literature Department, Education Faculty, Kandahar University, Afghanistan. He received his bachelor and masters degrees in Pashto Language and Literature from the same Department at Kandahar University. Email: atta.muhammadi@gmail.com BaoHui Zhang (corresponding author) is a professor in the Faculty of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China. His teaching and research is at the intersection of educational technology, science education, teacher education, and the learning sciences. He is East-Asia Association for Science Education (EASE) 2021 Distinguished Contribution Award winner. Email: baohui.zhang@snnu.edu.cn Please cite as: Tareen, H., Haand, M. T., Mohammadi, A. & Zhang, B. (2023). Self-regulated learning and motivational beliefs: Findings from a survey of EFL undergraduates in Afghanistan. Issues in Educational Research, 33(2), 781-797. http://www.iier.org.au/iier33/tareen.pdf