MOTIVATIONAL STYLES AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF ACADEMIC SELF-CONCEPT

the purpose of this study was to determine the mediating role of academic self-concept in the relationship between motivational styles and academic achievement. Based on correlational design, 140 Tehran senior secondary school female only students majoring in biology were selected by multistage random sampling and completed Academic Motivation Scale (AMS; Varelland et al.,1992) and Academic Self-Concept Scale (Delavare, 1994). Academic achievement was measured based on the mean of the final scores obtained in biology, physics and chemistry. The findings showed that academic self-concept was associated positively with intrinsic motivation and academic achievement. Furthermore, the results of path analysis showed the significance of the direct effect of academic self-concept on academic achievement while the indirect effect of extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation and amotivation on academic achievement was meaningful by the mediation of academic self-concept. Therfore, the mediating role of academic self-concept in the relationship between academic motivation and academic achievement was confirmed.