Learning Motivation among Vocational College Students: An Integrative Conceptual Framework of Socio-Emotional Competence, Self-Efficacy, and Emotion Regulation

Abstract

Learning motivation plays an important role in students’ engagement, persistence, and academic development, especially in vocational education, where learning often involves practical tasks, performance evaluation, and emotional pressure. Although previous studies have shown that socio-emotional competence, self-efficacy, and emotion regulation are all related to motivation, these factors are usually discussed separately. As a result, there is still a lack of an integrated explanation of how learning motivation develops among vocational college students. To address this gap, this paper proposes an integrative conceptual framework to explain learning motivation in vocational education from a socio-emotional perspective. In this framework, socio-emotional competence is viewed as a foundational resource that helps students manage interpersonal and emotional challenges in the learning process. Self-efficacy is positioned as a mediating factor that connects socio-emotional competence with learning motivation, because students who better understand and manage emotions are more likely to believe in their own abilities and stay motivated. Emotion regulation is treated as a moderating factor that can strengthen or weaken this process, especially when students face stress, setbacks, or evaluation pressure. By bringing these three factors together, the paper offers a clearer understanding of why vocational students may show different levels of motivation even in similar learning environments. This framework not only extends current research on learning motivation in vocational education, but also provides useful ideas for future empirical studies and for educational practices that support students’ emotional development, confidence, and sustained motivation.