Open Access

ARTICLE

Perfectionism and writing performance: Self-efficacy and motivation mediation

Ye Tao^*, Ilyana Jalaluddin, Zalina Mohd Kasim

Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, Department of English, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia

* Corresponding Author: Ye Tao. Email:

Journal of Psychology in Africa 2025, 35(5), 671-679. https://doi.org/10.32604/jpa.2025.066530

Received 10 April 2025; Accepted 04 September 2025; Issue published 24 October 2025

Abstract

This study investigated the role of self-efficacy and motivation in the relationship between perfectionism and writing performance. Participants were 500 Chinese EFL (English as a Foreign Language) undergraduates (females = 34%, Mage = 21.56 years, SD = 2.27). The students completed the Self-Reported Writing Proficiency Scale, the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale for Chinese, the Second Language Writer Self-Efficacy Scale, and the English Writing Motivation Questionnaire. Results from Structural Equation Modeling (SEM, Amos 29.0) revealed that perfectionism predicted writing performance positively for students with positive (adaptive) perfectionism, but negatively for those with negative (maladaptive) perfectionism. Self-efficacy and motivation mediated these relationships, strengthening the link between perfectionism and writing performance. Specifically, positive perfectionism significantly enhanced writing ability by increasing self-efficacy and motivation, whereas negative perfectionism significantly reduced self-efficacy and motivation, thereby inhibiting writing performance. These findings are consistent with the Dual-Process Model of Perfectionism, which posits that perfectionism can function through both positive and negative pathways. The model highlights that students with positive perfectionism exhibit higher levels of self-efficacy and motivation, whereas those with negative perfectionism demonstrate the opposite pattern.

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Keywords

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