From Belief to Behavior: The Mediating Role of Mindset and Achievement Goals in EFL Teachers' Feedback-Seeking Behaviour

This study examines how university English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' mindsets and achievement goals influence their feedback-seeking behavior (FSB). Integrating Ashford's (1986) feedback-seeking theory, Dweck's (2013, 2006) mindset theory, and Korn and Elliot's (2016) achievement goal model, an investigation was conducted into whether achievement goals mediate the relationship between mindset and FSB. A sample of 248 university EFL teachers in Iran completed measures of mindset (growth and fixed), achievement goals (development-oriented and demonstration-oriented), and multi-dimensional FSB. Results indicated that achievement goals partially mediated the relationship between mindset and FSB, with development-oriented goals serving as the primary transmission mechanism. Specifically, growth mindset was positively associated with development-oriented goals, which in turn predicted higher levels of adaptive feedback-seeking behaviors. In contrast, fixed mindset was negatively associated with development-oriented goals. Mediation effects varied across different dimensions of FSB rather than operating uniformly. These findings advance the understanding of teacher motivation by demonstrating that mindset influences feedback-seeking primarily through goal adoption rather than through direct effects alone. The study provides a refined framework for promoting reflective, feedback-informed teaching practices in higher education.