The mediating role of goal orientation in the relationship between formative assessment with academic engagement and procrastination in medical students

Academic involvement and academic procrastination are two behavioral variables and are among the challenges of higher education, especially medical education. The purpose of the current research is to investigate the mediating role of goal orientation in the relationship between formative assessment with academic engagement and procrastination in Iranian medical students.

The present correlational study of path way type, was performed on 388 students of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences in the 2021 selected by a convenient sampling method. Four questionnaires of Goal orientation scale )21-item), the classroom assessment approaches questionnaire (12-item), the Procrastination Assessment Scale– Students (44-item) and the student engagement scale (10-item) were used to collect data. The data were analyzed with SPSS-26 and LISREL-10.2 software.

The results of the path analysis showed formative assessment have significant direct effect on mastery orientation (β = 0.40), performance-approach (β = 0.14), avoidance orientation (β = -0.28), academic engagement (β = 0.32) and academic procrastination (β = 0.12). Also mastery orientation (β = 0.13), performance-approach (β = 0.12), avoidance orientation (β = -0.25) have a significant direct effect in the variance of academic engagement. As well mastery orientation (β = -0.43), performance-approach (β = -0.15), avoidance orientation (β = 0.30) have a significant direct effect in the variance of academic procrastination. These results confirm the direct hypotheses. Indirect effect of formative assessment to academic engagement (0.21) and academic procrastination (0.27) was significant.

It is recommended according to the results practitioners provide the basis for promoting academic engagement and decrease academic procrastination through the application of formative assessment and Improve classroom goal orientation.