This study aimed to investigate the relationship between metacognitive beliefs and achievement goal orientation with the mediating role of academic help-seeking and help avoidance in Choram second-grade high school students. It is an applied research study in purpose and descriptive survey in methodology. The statistical population consisted of all students (n = 347), from whom 182 were selected using the multi-stage cluster sampling method based on Krejcie and Morgan Table. Data were collected through Elliot and H. A. McGregor's Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ), Ryan and Pantrich's help-seeking behavior questionnaire, and Wales' meta-cognitive beliefs questionnaire. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) by SPSS and AMOOS. The results showed that metacognitive beliefs (subscales of positive beliefs, thought control, confidence, and self-awareness) directly correlated with academic help-seeking.
In contrast, they had a significant inverse relationship with help avoidance as a mediator variable in the relationship between metacognitive beliefs and achievement goal orientation. Also, it was found that metacognitive beliefs had a significant inverse relationship with academic help-seeking, while it had a significant direct relationship with help avoidance. Besides, it was discovered that achievement goal orientation and its components (including performance-approach, mastery-approach, performance-avoidance, and mastery-avoidance) had a significant relationship with metacognitive beliefs with the mediating role of academic help-seeking and help avoidance.
