The Relationship between Epistemological Beliefs and Motivational Components of Self-Regulated Learning Strategies of Male and Female EFL Learners across

The purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship between five dimensions of the epistemological beliefs regarding structure of knowledge, stability of knowledge, source of knowledge, ability to learn and, speed of learning and six measures of the motivational components of self-regulated learning strategies (intrinsic goal orientation, extrinsic goal orientation, task value, self-efficacy, control of learning, and test anxiety) among male and female EFL learners across years of study (freshman and sophomore students). The participants of this study were 101 EFL students studying English literature and English translation in the Islamic Azad University, Rasht Branch, Iran, during the spring semester of 2013. The participants completed Persian version of Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) (Pintrich, Smith, Garcia & McKeachie, 1991) and Persian version of Epistemological Questionnaire (Schommer, 1990). Results showed that, in general, the more naïve the epistemological beliefs of students, the less likely they are to use motivational learning strategies. Moreover, there was no significant relationship between dimensions of epistemological beliefs and motivational components of self-regulated learning strategies among male and female students. On the other hand, a statistically significant relationship was found between dimensions of epistemological beliefs and motivational components of self-regulated learning strategies for both freshman and sophomore students.