The mediator roles of emotion regulation and goal orientations in academic self-regulation's relationship to impulsivity and rumination

The purpose of this study was to investigate the variables associated with university students' academic self-regulation levels. In this study, a structural model was used to examine the relationships between impulsivity, rumination, and academic self-regulation and the mediating roles of goal orientation, cognitive reappraisal, and suppression in these relationships. Goal orientations were examined with learning and performance subcategory, emotion regulation strategies were examined with cognitive reappraisal and suppression sub-dimensions. Data collection tools were Academic Self-Regulation Scale, Emotion Regulation Scale, Goal Orientation Scale, Barratt Impulsivity Scale, and Ruminative Thinking Style Scale. The participants consisted of 720 university students, 538 females (72.4%) and 177 males (24.6%), and 5 person which did not state their gender, which have educated in different universities in Turkey. Data were analyzed by utilizing structural equation model on LISREL package program. The final model showed that impulsivity directly and negatively predicted academic self-regulation and indirectly predicted academic self-regulation through cognitive reappraisal, learning and performance goal orientation. Likewise, the model showed that rumination neither directly nor indirectly predicted academic self-regulation. Rumination only had predictor effect on suppression which is a subcategory of emotion regulation. Furthermore, suppression did not predict to academic self-regulation. Findings, limitations and recommendations for researchers and practitioners were discussed.