Exploring flourishing, personal best goals, engagement, and teacher support in adolescent English learning: a goal-setting theory perspective

Abstract Grounded in Goal-setting Theory, this study examined the relationships among flourishing, personal best goals, and engagement in English learning among Chinese senior high school students and further explored whether teacher support moderated the association between personal best goals and engagement. A total of 661 students participated in a questionnaire survey and structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized model. The results showed that flourishing positively predicted both personal best goals and engagement. Personal best goals also positively predicted engagement. In addition, the relationship between personal best goals and engagement was stronger among students who perceived higher levels of teacher support. This study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of goal-setting processes in adolescent English learning by highlighting the role of flourishing and the contextual significance of teacher support.