A Study on the Correlation between Motivation Regulation Strategies, Autonomous Learning Ability, and English Performance among English Majors

Research on motivation regulation plays a crucial role in the process of English learning. As a regulatory tool, motivation regulation strategies significantly impact and enhance academic performance. Among the various influencing factors of motivation regulation, autonomous learning ability has also gained increasing attention from scholars. This study surveyed 104 English majors through a questionnaire to explore the relationships among motivation regulation strategies, autonomous learning ability, and English performance. The findings reveal that: 1) The most commonly used motivation regulation strategy among English majors is enhancing task value, while the most frequently utilized aspect of autonomous learning ability is monitoring the learning process. 2) Goal activation and task value enhancement are positively correlated with English performance, with goal activation showing the strongest correlation, while consequence imagining demonstrates the weakest. Developing study plans and evaluating learning outcomes are significantly positively correlated with English performance, whereas other aspects show no significant correlation. Motivation regulation strategies are also significantly positively correlated with evaluating learning outcomes. 3) Among motivation regulation strategies, goal activation is the strongest predictor of English performance, while developing study plans and evaluating learning outcomes are the strongest predictors among autonomous learning abilities. Motivation regulation strategies are most predictive of study planning, while consequence imagining negatively affects all four dimensions of autonomous learning ability. This study contributes to understanding the relationships among motivation regulation strategies, autonomous learning ability, and English performance, providing insights for English majors’ learning practices and teachers’ instructional strategies.