Providing a Structural Equation Model of Academic Motivation Based on Cognitive Flexibility and Academic Self-Regulation with Mindfulness as a Mediating Variable

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research

Authors

1 1. PhD Student in Psychology, Department of Educational Psychology, Garmsar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran

2 PhD Student of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Iranian–Islamic Lifestyle,Islamic Revolution University, Tehran

3 2. Ph.D. Student in Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Islamic Revolution University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

The present study aimed to develop a model of academic motivation based on cognitive flexibility and academic self-regulation, with mindfulness as a mediating variable, among second-grade high school students in Takab County. This research was fundamental in purpose and descriptive-correlational in method, employing structural equation modeling. The statistical population comprised all second-grade high school students in Takab County during the 2025–2026 academic year. A sample of 300 students was selected using multistage cluster sampling. The research instruments included Harter's (1981) Scale of Intrinsic versus Extrinsic Orientation in the Classroom (for academic motivation), the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (Dennis & Vander Wal, 2010), the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (Baer et al., 2006), and the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (Bouffard et al., 1995). These measures demonstrated adequate validity and reliability in previous studies and the present research. Data were analyzed using SPSS and Amos software.
The findings indicated that the proposed model exhibited good fit. Both cognitive flexibility and academic self-regulation had significant direct and indirect effects on academic motivation, with mindfulness playing a significant mediating role in these relationships. In other words, cognitive flexibility and academic self-regulation enhance students' academic motivation by strengthening mindful presence and non-judgmental awareness in the moment, reducing emotional reactivity, and promoting deeper task engagement. These results align with self-determination theory and Zimmerman's cyclical model of self-regulation, highlighting the importance of mindfulness-based interventions and efforts to enhance cognitive flexibility in improving academic motivation.

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Research in School and Virtual Learning

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 28 September 2026

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