The Relationship Between Learning Motivation and Performance Ability Among Folk Dance Major Students in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy

Yiyun Ding; Suppiah Nachiappan

doi:10.54097/ay28gx08

Authors

Yiyun Ding
Suppiah Nachiappan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/ay28gx08

Keywords:

Learning Motivation, Performance Ability, Self-Efficacy, Folk Dance

Abstract

In the context of the transformation and modernization of ethnic folk dance education, improving students’ performance ability has become a central concern in higher education. While learning motivation is widely acknowledged as a key psychological driver in arts education, existing studies have largely examined motivation, self-efficacy, and performance outcomes in isolation. Consequently, insufficient theoretical attention has been given to the internal psychological mechanisms through which learning motivation translates into performance ability among students majoring in folk dance. To address this theoretical gap, this study develops a theoretical framework integrating Self-Determination Theory, Social Cognitive Theory, and Expectancy–Value Theory. Within this framework, learning motivation is positioned as the independent variable, self-efficacy as the mediating mechanism, and performance ability as the outcome variable. Drawing on the core assumptions of these theories, the model proposes that autonomous motivation enhances students’ perceived competence and agency, which in turn strengthens performance quality and artistic expression. By embedding key variables within complementary motivational and cognitive perspectives, the proposed model offers a logically coherent explanation of how internal psychological processes facilitate performance development in folk dance education. The theoretical contributions of this study are threefold. First, it extends the application of Self-Determination Theory to the domain of performance ability in arts education. Second, it integrates Social Cognitive Theory and Expectancy–Value Theory to construct a multi-theoretical explanatory framework, moving beyond single-theory approaches. Third, it addresses a contextual gap by focusing specifically on ethnic folk dance majors, thereby enriching the theoretical understanding of motivation and performance mechanisms within culturally embedded artistic disciplines.

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