The Moderating Effect of Learning Experience on Learning Motivation and Learning Outcomes of International Students

Jingxiao Zhang; Gangzhu Sun; Lin Xu; Inayat Khan; Weidong Lv; Simon P Philbin

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.913982

The Moderating Effect of Learning Experience on Learning Motivation and Learning Outcomes of International Students

Front Psychol. 2022 Jun 28:13:913982. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.913982. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Jingxiao Zhang¹, Gangzhu Sun², Lin Xu³, Inayat Khan⁴, Weidong Lv⁵, Simon P Philbin⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Economics and Management, Chang'an University, Xi'an, China.
² School of Civil Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
³ School of Foreign Languages, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.
⁴ School of Management, Northwest Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.
⁵ School of International Education, Chang'an University, Xi'an, China.
⁶ School of Engineering, London South Bank University, London, United Kingdom.

Abstract

With the increasing level of internationalization in higher education, the number of international students in mainland China is rapidly increasing. However, limited research has considered that student results may be affected by a reduced motivation to learn. Therefore, the aim of this research is to explore the effect of the learning motivation on the learning outcomes of international students and the moderating role of learning experience. A sample of 130 international students from 23 countries studying in mainland China was analyzed. The study found a significant correlation between the learning motivations and international students' learning outcomes. It was also determined that learning experience has significantly enhances the relationship between learning motivation and the learning outcomes of international students. This study contributes to the higher education literature on learning motivation by students and learning outcomes.

Keywords: experimental study and application; international students; learning experience; learning motivation; learning outcomes.