The present study is concerned with examining the role of goal-setting theory on Iranian EFL learners’ motivation and self-efficacy. To this end, 93 EFL students were selected to take an essay exam and fill out motivation, English, and General self-efficacy scales. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to the data. The findings of the study revealed that those learners who enjoyed higher English and General self-efficacy selected the most challenging goal. Moreover, intrinsically motivated learners opted for the high goal, extrinsically motivated students tended to choose moderate goal; however, amotivated students were more likely to pick the easy goal. This study suggests that goal-setting theory can be considered as an effective strategy for pedagogical purposes.

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