An Investigation of the Relationship between Self-Efficacy and Self-Regulated Learning among Chinese College Students: The Mediated Role of Task Value

Background: University and college students are the driving force of the sustainability of the future, and their level of self-regulated learning will directly affect their ability to develop sustainably.However, for the current Chinese private college students, they have been used to cramming teaching, and it is difficult for them to change from passiveness to positiveness at once, so it is necessary for educators to study and guide the self-regulated learning among Chinese private college students.Methods: This study explores the relationship among self-efficacy, task value and self-regulated learning.In total, 343 freshmen from a selected Chinese college completed a questionnaire to report on their self-efficacy, task value and self-regulated learning.Data analysis was performed by mean, standard deviation, Pearson correlation analysis, linear regression analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM).Results: Results from Pearson correlation and linear regression analysis illustrated that both self-efficacy and task value were significant predictors of self-regulated learning.SEM confirmed the mediating role of task value between self-efficacy and self-regulated learning.However, the results also revealed that task value played a partial mediating role between self-efficacy and self-regulated learning.Conclusion: The implication of this study is that self-efficacy and task value can be used to improve students' self-regulated learning, and in order to achieve sustainable change, further actions should be carried out to have a greater impact on long-term development.Finally, this study puts forward three suggestions for improving Chinese private college students' self-regulated learning and also makes theoretical and practical contributions to academic research in this field.