What makes a good student? How emotions, self-regulated learning, and motivation contribute to academic achievement.

Abstract

The authors propose a theoretical model linking emotions, self-regulated learning, and motivation to academic achievement. This model was tested with 5,805 undergraduate students. They completed the Self-Regulated Learning, Emotions, and Motivation Computerized Battery (LEM–B) composed of 3 self-report questionnaires: the Self-Regulated Learning Questionnaire (LQ), the Emotions Questionnaire (EQ), and the Motivation Questionnaire (MQ). The findings were consistent with the authors’ hypotheses and appeared to support all aspects of the proposed model. The structural equation model showed that students’ emotions influence their self-regulated learning and their motivation, and these, in turn, affect academic achievement. Thus, self-regulated learning and motivation mediate the effects of emotions on academic achievement. Moreover, positive emotions foster academic achievement only when they are mediated by self-regulated learning and motivation. The results are discussed with regard to the key role of emotions in academic settings and in terms of theoretical implications for researchers.