Chicken or the egg: Longitudinal analysis of the causal dilemma between goal orientation, self-regulation and cognitive processing strategies in higher education

The aim of this study was to investigate the direction of the effect between goal orientation, self-regulation and deep processing strategies in order to understand the impact of these three constructs on students’ achievement. The participants were 110 freshmen from the engineering faculty at the Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium, who were followed during the first three years of their university studies. Data were analyzed through structural equation modeling. The main finding was that mastery goal orientation increased students’ subsequent deep processing which in turn enhanced subsequent self-regulation. Deep processing and self-regulation also appeared to be mutually influential from year 2 to year 3. The implications of our results for the understanding of the interplay between cognitive and motivational processes in higher education are discussed.

► A longitudinal model of mastery goal, deep processing strategies and self-regulation in higher education is tested. ► The model has been investigated on 110 freshmen during a three-year follow-up period. ► Mastery goal orientation implied subsequent use of deep processing strategies. ► Deep processing strategies increased further self-regulation strategies use. ► Deep processing strategies and self-regulation strategies are partially intertwined from year 1 to year 2.