Motivational withdrawal in college English learning: a mixed-methods investigation of diminished motivational support and perceived effort ineffectiveness.

Introduction: This study investigates the latent motivational structure and qualitative manifestations of motivational withdrawal among some Chinese higher vocational college students learning College English within exam-oriented instructional contexts. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Learned Helplessness Theory (LHT), the study investigates how diminished self-determined motivational support and perceived effort ineffectiveness are reflected in students' reported experiences and observable disengagement. Methods: It employed a multiple-phase mixed-methods design involving an exploratory sample of 200 students, a confirmatory sample of an additional 200 students, and 5 English teachers from three higher vocational colleges in Jilin, Shandong, and Guangdong in China. Data from a 10-item questionnaire were analyzed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), while qualitative data from open-ended questionnaires, a focus group interview, classroom observations, platform records, and teacher interviews were subjected to thematic analysis. Results: The findings suggested a contextually coherent two-factor pattern within the present vocational English-learning sample that was supported through both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses conducted on separate samples. Qualitative evidence showed that these dimensions were manifested in low task meaning, weak ownership of learning, effort-nullifying beliefs, anticipated failure, and recurrent non-engagement in exam-review activities. Discussion: Rather than representing simple unwillingness, students' disengagement was therefore interpreted as a patterned form of motivational withdrawal characterized by weakened motivational support and limited confidence in the effectiveness of effort within exam-oriented vocational English-learning contexts.