The Differential Mediating Role of Goal Setting in the Relationship between Self-efficacy and Performance

This research examined to reveal the mediating effect of goal setting in the relationship between self-efficacy and performance, and the impact of self-efficacy on goal setting. In evolutionary theory, there are two types of goal : learning and performance goal. This study measured the differential mediating effect of these two types of goals. Using the three-step mediated regression analysis for testing mediation hypotheses, the research result reveals that, consistent with previous research, learning goal setting was more positively related to outcome variables than performance goal setting. This study indicates that self-efficacy has positive and significant impact on the learning goal, but not on the performance goal. Also, the result showed that the learning goal mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and outcome variables(task interest, level of effort, final grade of students). but the performance goal does not mediate. The implications of these findings are discussed