Achievement Goal Motivation Influences Self-Efficacy in AI-Supported Collaborative Programming

Mediating Roles of Growth Mindset and Mastery Experience

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v16i5.62296

Keywords:

achievement goals, growth mindset, mastery experience, self-efficacy, programming

Abstract


This study designed an AI-integrated collaborative problem-based learning (CPBL) course aimed to bolster programming self-efficacy among undergraduate and to elucidate the underlying psychological mechanisms that drive self-efficacy. A total of 179 Taiwanese undergraduates participated in an 18-week intervention that integrated AI toolkits, CPBL frameworks, and instructional scaffolding to facilitate interdisciplinary application. To achieve our goals, two instruments were developed to measure programming-specific achievement goals and mindsets. The results indicated that the AI-supported CPBL environment effectively fostered a growth mindset, mastery experiences, and self-efficacy in programming. Mediation model analysis revealed that growth mindset and mastery experience functioned as dual mediators linking achievement goal orientation to self-efficacy. Notably, mastery goals exerted a markedly stronger influence on self-efficacy compared to performance goals. The findings highlight the necessity of prioritizing mastery-oriented pedagogy in the design of AI-integrated programming curricula.

Author Biography

Wen-Shyong Tzou, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan

Wen-Shyong Tzou is a Professor in the Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology at National Taiwan Ocean University. His research interests include translational genomics, computational protein structure modeling, bioinformatics, and generative AI–driven protein design, integrating nature-inspired algorithms to advance biomolecular engineering.

References

[1] Tsai, F. H. (2023). Using a physical computing project to prepare preservice primary teachers for teaching programming. SAGE Open, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231205409

[2] Tellhed, U., Bjorklund, F., & Strand, K. K. (2022). Sure I can code (but do I want to?). Why boys' and girls’ programming beliefs differ and the effects of mandatory programming education. Computers in Human Behavior, 135, pp. 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107370

[3] Öztürk, M. (2022). The effect of self-regulated programming learning on undergraduate students’ academic performance and motivation. Interactive Technology and Smart Education, 19, pp. 319–337. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITSE-04-2021-0074

[4] Yilmaz, R., & Yilmaz, F. G. K. (2023). The effect of generative artificial intelligence (AI)-based tool use on students' computational thinking skills, programming self-efficacy, and motivation. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 4, 100147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2023.100147

[5] Liu, J., Li, Q., Sun, X., Zhu, Z., & Xu, Y. (2021). Factors influencing programming self-efficacy: An empirical study in the context of Mainland China. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 43, pp. 835–849. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2021.1985430

[6] Kanika, Chakraverty, S., & Chakraborty, P. (2020). Tools and techniques for teaching computer programming: A review. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 49(2), pp. 170–198. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047239520926971

[7] Rinas, R., Dresel, M., & Daumiller, M. (2022). Faculty subjective well-being: An achievement goal approach. International Journal of Educational Research, 115, 101942. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2022.101942

[8] Dweck, C. S. (2016). What having a “growth mindset” actually means. Harvard Business Review, 13, pp. 213–226.

[9] Beatson, N. J., Sithole, S. T. M., de Lange, P., O’Connell, B., & Smith, J. K. (2025). Sources of self-efficacy beliefs in learning accounting: Does gender matter? Journal of International Education in Business, 18(2), pp. 196–217. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIEB-02-2024-0014

[10] Hampel, N., Sassenberg, K., Scholl, A., & Ditrich, L. (2023). Enactive mastery experience improves attitudes towards digital technology via self-efficacy–a pre-registered quasi-experiment. Behaviour & Information Technology, 43(2), pp. 298–311. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2022.2162436

[11] Schweder, S., Hagenauer, G., Grahl, L., & Raufelder, D. (2025). Achievement goal profiles and profile transitions in teacher- and self-directed learning and the association with self-efficacy and interest. Motivation and Emotion. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-025-10142-0

[12] Daumiller, M. (2024). Achievement goals: The past, the present, and possible future of achievement goal research in the context of learning and teaching. In G. Hagenauer, R. Lazarides, & H. Järvenoja (Eds.), Motivation and Emotion in Learning and Teaching Across Educational Contexts, pp. 35–53. Routledge.

[13] Pintrich, P. R., & Schunk, D. (2002). Motivation in Education: Theory, Research, and Applications (2nd ed.). Prentice-Hall.

[14] Elliot, A. J., & McGregor, H. A. (2001). A 2 × 2 achievement goal framework. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(3), pp. 501–519. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.80.3.501

[15] Lee, Y. K., & Seo, E. (2019). Trajectories of implicit theories and their relations to scholastic aptitude: A mediational role of achievement goals. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 59, 101800. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2019.101800

[16] Camacho, A., Alves, R. A., Daniel, J. R., De Smedt, F., & Van Keer, H. (2022). Structural relations among implicit theories, achievement goals, and performance in writing. Learning and Individual Differences, 100, 102223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2022.102223

[17] Wang, K., Duan, B., Li, X., & Xue, Y. (2025). A profile analysis of computer-supported collaborative learning motivation in Chinese higher education: Integrating achievement goal and expectancy-value perspectives. Interactive Learning Environments. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2025.2521342

[18] Chen, Y., Li, J., Chui, H., & King, R. B. (2025). Peer cooperation and competition are both positively linked with mastery-approach goals: An achievement goal perspective. British Journal of Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12784

[19] Bernecker, K., & Job, V. (2019). Mindset theory. In K. Sassenberg & M. L. W. Vliek (Eds.), Social Psychology in Action: Evidence-Based Interventions from Theory to Practice, pp. 179–191. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13788-5_12

[20] Kapasi, A., & Pei, J. (2021). Mindset theory and school psychology. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 37(1), pp. 57–74. https://doi.org/10.1177/08295735211053961

[21] Fong, C. J., Muenks, K., Fatih, Z., Adelugba, S. F., O’Grady, M. C., Lin, S., & Goldstein, M. G. (2025). Do socializers’ mindset beliefs matter for student mindset and achievement? A meta-analysis. Learning and Individual Differences, 121, 102709. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2025.102709

[22] Sarrasin, J. B., Nenciovici, L., Foisy, L. M. B., Allaire-Duquette, G., Riopel, M., & Masson, S. (2018). Effects of teaching the concept of neuroplasticity to induce a growth mindset on motivation, achievement, and brain activity: A meta-analysis. Trends in Neuroscience and Education, 12, pp. 22–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tine.2018.07.003

[23] Platte, D., Xu, K. M., & de Groot, R. H. M. (2025). The effect of fostering a growth mindset in primary school children: Does intervention approach matter? Education Sciences, 15(3), 327. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15030327

[24] Author et al. (2024).

[25] Chouvalova, A., Navlekar, A. S., Mills, D. J., Adams, M., Daye, S., De Anda, F., & Limeri, L. B. (2024). Undergraduates’ reactions to errors mediate the association between growth mindset and study strategies. International Journal of STEM Education, 11, 26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-024-00485-4

[26] Author et al. (2023).

[27] Boguslawski, S., Deer, R., & Dawson, M. G. (2025). Programming education and learner motivation in the age of generative AI: Student and educator perspectives. Information and Learning Sciences, 126(1/2), pp. 91–109. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-10-2023-0163

[28] Durak, H. Y., Yilmaz, F. G. K., & Yilmaz, R. (2019). Computational thinking, programming self-efficacy, problem solving and experiences in the programming process conducted with robotic activities. Contemporary Educational Technology, 10(2), pp. 173–197. https://doi.org/10.30935/cet.554493

[29] Kuo, Y. T., & Kuo, Y. C. (2023). African American students’ academic and web programming self-efficacy, learning performance, and perceptions towards computer programming in web design courses. Education Sciences, 13(12), pp. 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13121236

[30] Kuo, Y. T., & Kuo, Y. C. (2025). Learning programming: Exploring the relationships of self-efficacy, computational thinking, and learning performance among minority students. Frontiers in Education. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1623415

[31] Phan, H. P., & Ngu, B. H. (2016). Sources of self-efficacy in academic contexts: A longitudinal perspective. School Psychology Quarterly, 31, pp. 548–564. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000151

[32] Kleppang, A. L., Steigen, A. M., & Finbråten, H. S. (2023). Explaining variance in self-efficacy among adolescents: The association between mastery experiences, social support, and self-efficacy. BMC Public Health, 23, 1665. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16603-w

[33] Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: W. H. Freeman. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191

[34] Yeager, D. S., & Dweck, C. S. (2012). Mindsets that promote resilience: When students believe that personal characteristics can be developed. Educational Psychologist, 47(4), pp. 302–314. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2012.722805

[35] Liu, Q., & Kamioka, T. (2025). The effects of employees' digital growth mindset and supervisors’ coaching behaviour on digital self-efficacy. Technology in Society, 81, 102875. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102875

[36] Yang, S., Baird, M., O’Bourke, E., Brennan, K., & Schneider, B. (2024). Decoding debugging instruction: A systematic literature review of debugging interventions. ACM Transactions on Computing Education, 24(4), 45, pp. 1–44. https://doi.org/10.1145/3690652

[37] Yeom, S., Herbert, N., & Ryu, R. (2022). Project-based collaborative learning enhances students’ programming performance. Computer Science Education, 1, pp. 248–254. https://doi.org/10.1145/3502718.3524779

[38] Zamecnik, A., Kovanović, V., Joksimović, S., Grossmann, G., Ladjal, D., & Pardo, A. (2024). The perception of task cohesion in collaborative learning teams. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 19, pp. 369–393. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11412-024-09424-5

[39] Crook, C. (2022). CSsCL: The performance of collaborative learning. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 17, pp. 169–183. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11412-022-09364-y

[40] Wijnia, L., Noordzij, G., Arends, L. R., Rikers, R. M. J. P., & Loyens, S. M. M. (2024). The effects of problem-based, project-based, and case-based learning on students’ motivation: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 36, 29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09864-3

[41] Wu, T. T., Sari, N. A. R. M., Putri, A. P. R. Z., Chen, H. R., & Huang, Y. M. (2025). Fostering undergraduate accounting students’ educational attainment through CT-enhanced collaborative project-based learning. The International Journal of Management Education, 23(3), 101195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2025.101195

[42] Tangney, B., Sullivan, K., & Lawlor, J. (2024). Online collaborative PBL-The Bridge21 approach. Computers and Education Open, 7, 100114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeo.2024.100224

[43] Yan, L., Greiff, S., Lodge, J. M., & Gašević, D. (2025). Distinguishing performance gains from learning when using generative AI. Nature Reviews Psychology, 4, pp. 435–436.

[44] Chen, Y., Xiao, S., Song, Y., Li, Z., Sun, L., & Chen, L. (2025). MindScratch: A visual programming support tool for classroom learning based on multimodal generative AI. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2025.2475991

[45] Author et al. (2025).

Downloads

Published

2026-09-04

How to Cite

Tzou, W.-S., Ma, C.-H., Yeh, Y.- chu, & Simarmata, M. T. A. (2026). Achievement Goal Motivation Influences Self-Efficacy in AI-Supported Collaborative Programming: Mediating Roles of Growth Mindset and Mastery Experience. International Journal of Engineering Pedagogy (iJEP), 16(5), pp. 125–143. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v16i5.62296

Issue

Section

Papers