The association between writing motivation and performance among primary school students: considering the role of self-efficacy

It is widely acknowledged that motivational beliefs significantly influence writing performance. This study explores the relationship between writing motivation and writing performance among Chinese primary school students, particularly examining the effect of writing self-efficacy on this relationship. A total of 307 fourth-grade students from Chinese primary schools were surveyed using the adapted writing motivation questionnaire and the writing self-efficacy questionnaire, along with a narrative writing task. Descriptive analyses show that students had moderate to high levels of motivation and self-efficacy for writing. This research delineates the pathways through which motivation modulates self-efficacy in writing, subsequently informing writing performance. Specifically, intrinsic motivation significantly enhances self-efficacy for ideation, conventions, and self-regulation. In contrast, extrinsic motivation has no effect on any aspect of self-efficacy. Furthermore, self-efficacy for self-regulation emerges as a salient predictor of writing performance. The study also elucidates that intrinsic motivation indirectly influences writing performance through self-efficacy for self-regulation. This study provides new perspectives into primary school students’ motivational beliefs and writing performance in Chinese. It highlights the critical role of self-regulation in the effect of motivation, especially intrinsic motivation, on writing performance. The educational implications of these findings for improving writing instruction are also briefly discussed.