Unpacking the mechanisms of self-regulated learning: How motivation translates into reading benefits for EFL adolescents

Understanding how motivation translates into learning outcomes is central to improving adolescent EFL reading development. While self-regulated learning is posited as a key mechanism, the distinct roles of its subcomponents—reading engagement, metacognition, and reading strategies—remain underexplored, particularly in specific instructional contexts. This study investigated the structural relationships in a multidimensional model of self-regulated reading among 203 Chinese middle school EFL learners. A questionnaire measuring reading motivation, reading engagement, metacognition, reading strategies, and perceived reading benefits was administered, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The analysis confirmed the validity of a second-order model in which self-regulated learning served as a higher-order construct encompassing reading engagement, metacognition, and reading strategies as first-order dimensions. The key finding revealed that the influence of reading motivation on perceived reading benefits was fully mediated by self-regulated learning. Subsequent analysis of the three self-regulatory dimensions indicated that all three loaded strongly onto the higher-order construct, with metacognition showing a slightly higher loading compared to engagement and strategy use. The uniformly high loadings across all three dimensions underscore that effective self-regulated reading requires the coordinated deployment of all three processes. These findings highlight the importance of fostering an integrated system of engagement, metacognition, and strategy use in adolescent EFL reading instruction.