A Predictive Model of Academic Well-Being Based on Achievement Goal Orientations: The Mediating Role of Academic Buoyancy among Female Secondary School Students

Abstract

Academic well-being reflects students’ cognitive, emotional, and motivational experiences at school. Achievement goal orientations may shape these experiences by directing students toward learning and personal improvement or toward social comparison and avoidance of failure. Academic buoyancy—the capacity to respond adaptively to ordinary academic setbacks—may partly explain these relationships. This cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study included 250 female students in Grades 10–12 in Tehran, Iran, during the 2024–2025 academic year. Participants were selected through multistage cluster random sampling. They completed the Academic Well-Being Questionnaire, the goal-orientation subscales of the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scales, and the Academic Buoyancy Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling and bootstrap tests of indirect effects were conducted with SPSS 27 and AMOS 23. The model showed acceptable fit: χ²(90) = 233.07, χ²/df = 2.59, GFI = .936, AGFI = .902, CFI = .954, and RMSEA = .059. Mastery orientation positively predicted academic buoyancy (β = .411) and academic well-being (β = .488). Performance-approach (β = −.171) and performance-avoidance orientations (β = −.352) negatively predicted buoyancy. Buoyancy positively predicted well-being (β = .422). Indirect effects through buoyancy were positive for mastery orientation (β = .173) and negative for performance-approach (β = −.072) and performance-avoidance orientations (β = −.148). The model explained 62% of the variance in academic well-being. Mastery-oriented goals and adaptive responses to routine academic difficulties were associated with higher academic well-being. Goals centered on outperforming others or avoiding poor performance were associated with lower buoyancy and well-being. School practices emphasizing learning, personal progress, constructive feedback, and recovery from setbacks may support students’ academic well-being.