Asia Pacific Education Review

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-020-09633-1

Exploring the relationship between perfectionism and academic

burnout through achievement goals: a mediation model
Eunbi Chang1 · Hyunmo Seong2 · Sang Min Lee2

Received: 16 January 2019 / Revised: 6 May 2020 / Accepted: 19 May 2020

© Education Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea 2020

Abstract
This study investigated associations among perfectionism (i.e., perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns), achieve-
ment goals, and academic burnout among college students in South Korea, focusing on the mediating role of achievement
goals. A total of 281 students enrolled in a non-major psychology course voluntarily completed an online questionnaire.
Analyses were performed using structural equation modeling. The results indicated that achievement goals significantly
mediated the relation between perfectionism and academic burnout. Perfectionistic strivings had a negative effect on aca-
demic burnout, through mastery goals (i.e., mastery-approach and mastery-avoidance goals). Specifically, high levels of
perfectionistic strivings were linked to high levels of mastery-approach and low levels of mastery-avoidance goals, which
were sequentially linked to a low level of academic burnout. Contrastingly, perfectionistic concerns had a positive effect on
academic burnout, through mastery-avoidance goals. That is, higher perfectionistic concerns were associated with higher
mastery-avoidance goals, which in turn were linked to higher academic burnout. Implications and limitations are discussed.

Keywords Academic burnout · Perfectionism · Achievement goals · Korean undergraduates

Introduction reduce various negative outcomes for college students by

In South Korea, college students experience a high level of
academic stress, due to the effects an individual’s college
GPA can have on his or her future career and social status
(Chang and Lee 2020; Kim 2019). Prolonged and excessive
academic stress results in various kinds of behavioral and
psychological problems, including academic burnout (e.g.,
Jung et al. 2015).
Studies on academic burnout in college students have
been conducted (e.g., Chang and Lee 2020; Kim 2019;
Vizoso et al. 2019), as it is something college students com-
monly experience (Chang and Lee 2020; May et al. 2015)
and can lead to various detrimental outcomes. Specifically,
it has been shown to be negatively associated with academic
adjustment (Kim 2019) and academic performance (May
et al. 2015; Vizoso et al. 2019). Thus, we can prevent or
* Sang Min Lee
leesang@korea.ac.kr
1
Department of Education, College of Education, Kangwon
National University, Chuncheon, South Korea
2
Department of Education, College of Education, Korea
University, Anam‐dong, Seongbuk‐gu, Seoul, South Korea
understanding academic burnout and its antecedents.
Perfectionism is one antecedent factor of academic burn-
out (e.g., Chang and Lee 2020). Several researchers (e.g.,
Chang et al. 2016; Newman et al. 2019) have focused on
perfectionism in college students, as college life empha-
sizes autonomy and responsibility and can strengthen one’s
perfectionistic beliefs. Previous research (e.g., Chang et al.
2016; Luo et al. 2016) has reported significant associations
between perfectionism and academic burnout; however, the
direction of the relationship differed, depending on perfec-
tionism dimensions (i.e., perfectionistic strivings and perfec-
tionistic concerns). Given that perfectionistic strivings and
perfectionistic concerns show a high correlation (Hill and
Curran 2016), it is necessary to investigate the mechanisms
underlying the different associations between perfectionism
dimensions and academic burnout. However, only recently
did researchers begin to identify the process through which
perfectionism influences academic burnout (e.g., Chang and
Lee 2020; Chang et al. 2016).
Thus, the present study aimed to identify a psychological
variable that may influence the degree to which perfection-
ism dimensions influence academic burnout. Specifically,
we investigated the mediating role of achievement goals,

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which play an important role in academic settings (e.g.,
Honicke et al. 2019), in the relation between perfectionism
(i.e., perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns)
and academic burnout.
Literature review
Association between perfectionism and academic
burnout
Academic burnout is a negative consequence resulting from
chronic academic stress and extreme academic demands
(McCarthy et al. 1990), and includes symptoms such as
emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy (Schaufeli
et al. 2002). Emotional exhaustion refers to feeling extremely
fatigued due to excessive academic demands. Cynicism
refers to a skeptical attitude toward academic tasks, which
leads to depersonalization from learning. Lastly, inefficacy is
the feeling that one cannot reach the academic achievements
he or she wants (Shin et al. 2011).
Previous research has examined various antecedent fac-
tors of academic burnout in college students. For example,
passion (Saville et al. 2018), coping strategies (Alarcon et al.
2011; Vizoso et al. 2019), motivation (Chang et al. 2016),
optimism (Vizoso et al. 2019), goal adjustment capacity
(Chang and Lee 2020), and perfectionism (Chang and Lee
2020; Chang et al. 2016) have been suggested as antecedent
factors.
Of those factors, perfectionism is characterized as a per-
sonality trait involving striving for perfection, setting exces-
sively high standards for personal performance, and provid-
ing critical evaluation of one’s own behavior (Stoeber and
Otto 2006). While there have been many attempts to con-
ceptualize perfectionism (e.g., Frost et al. 1990; Hewitt and
Flett 1991), a recent conceptualization suggests there are two
major dimensions of perfectionism: perfectionistic strivings
and perfectionistic concerns (Hill and Curran 2016). Perfec-
tionistic strivings, an adaptive form of perfectionism, repre-
sent striving toward perfection and setting high standards for
one’s own performance (Hill and Curran 2016). Conversely,
perfectionistic concerns, a maladaptive form of perfection-
ism, represent a self-critical tendency toward imperfection
and excessive concerns over mistakes and failure (Hill and
Curran 2016).
Previous research (e.g., Chang et al. 2016; Garratt-Reed
et al. 2018; Luo et al. 2016) has reported a negative associa-
tion between perfectionistic strivings and academic burnout.
For example, Chang et al. (2016) found that perfectionistic
strivings were negatively associated with academic burnout
through high levels of intrinsic and identified motivation.
In a recent study by Lee and Yang (2019), perfectionistic
strivings were found to be associated with high levels of
13
E. Chang et al.
internal locus of control and self-encouragement, which can
lead to low levels of academic burnout. A meta-analysis on
perfectionism and academic burnout (Cho et al. 2017) also
confirmed the negative association between perfectionis-
tic strivings and academic burnout, and Hill and Curran’s
(2016) meta-analysis on perfectionism and burnout sup-
ported a similar pattern for this relationship.
Perfectionistic concerns have been shown to be posi-
tively associated with academic burnout (e.g., Chang and
Lee 2020; Chang et al. 2016; Lee and Yang 2019; Luo
et al. 2016). Many studies, including meta-analyses (Cho
et al. 2017; Hill and Curran 2016), have supported these
associations. For example, Chang and Lee (2020) reported
that perfectionistic concerns predicted low levels of goal
reengagement, which was linked to high levels of academic
burnout. Garratt-Reed et al. (2018) found a positive associa-
tion between perfectionistic concerns and academic burn-
out through high levels of repetitive negative thoughts. Lee
and Yang (2019) showed that perfectionistic concerns have
a positive association with academic burnout through low
levels of internal locus of control and self-encouragement.
In the association between perfectionism and academic
burnout, achievement goals may play a mediating role.
Achievement goals are reasons to engage in tasks (Elliot
1999; Elliot and Hulleman 2017; Pintrich 2000) and are
important in academic settings. They are associated with
not only academic performance (e.g., Honicke et al. 2019)
but also academic burnout among college students (e.g.,
Naidoo et al. 2012). Students may pursue different types
of achievement goals depending on their degree or type of
perfectionism (e.g., Bong et al. 2014; Madjar et al. 2015),
and the achievement goals students pursue may have dif-
ferent links to academic burnout (e.g., Naidoo et al. 2012).
Association between perfectionism
and achievement goals
Perfectionism affects individual goal setting and mainte-
nance (Bong et al. 2014). Goal orientation (i.e., the reason
to approach a goal) may also differ depending on perfec-
tionism type (Bong et al. 2014; Madjar et al. 2015). Elliot
and McGregor (2001) classified goal orientation using a
2 × 2 framework by combining valence (i.e., approach vs.
avoidance) and definition (i.e., mastery vs. performance)
dimensions. Specifically, performance goals, which focus on
demonstrating one’s competence over others (Ames 1992;
Pintrich 2000), are divided into performance-approach and
performance-avoidance goals. Mastery goals, which focus
on self-improvement (Ames 1992; Elliot and McGregor
2001; Pintrich 2000), are classified as mastery-approach
and mastery-avoidance goals (Elliot and MacGregor 2001).
Approach focus refers to moving toward positive outcomes
or success, whereas avoidance focus represents avoiding
Exploring the relationship between perfectionism and academic burnout through achievement…
negative outcomes or failure (Elliot and MacGregor 2001).
Thus, individuals with performance-approach goals try to
surpass others and prove their competence (Elliot 1999;
Elliot and Harackiewicz 1996); however, individuals with
performance-avoidance goals try to avoid looking incom-
petent compared to others (Elliot and Harackiewicz 1996).
Individuals with mastery-approach goals focus on develop-
ing personal competence by learning tasks and acquiring
skills, whereas individuals with mastery-avoidance goals try
to avoid loss of skills and competence (Elliot 1999; Elliot
and Harachiewicz 1996).
Throughout the literature, studies have suggested that
perfectionism and achievement goal orientations are sig-
nificantly associated (e.g., Lee and Anderman 2020; Speirs
Neumeister et al. 2015). A dual process model of perfec-
tionism (Slade and Owens 1998) indicated that the positive
aspects of perfectionism (i.e., perfectionistic strivings) are
associated with an approach focus. Theoretically, because
perfectionistic strivings are associated with hope of suc-
cess (Stoeber and Otto 2006), they may lead one to become
involved in challenging tasks (i.e., approach focus). How-
ever, previous empirical studies (e.g., Speirs Neumeister
et al. 2015) indicated that perfectionistic strivings are posi-
tively associated with not only approach goals (i.e., per-
formance-approach and mastery-approach goals) but also
avoidance goals (i.e., performance-avoidance and mastery-
avoidance goals). Stoeber, Damian, and Madigan (2018)
analyzed 22 previous studies from 2006 to 2015, including
the above-mentioned studies, that examined the association
between perfectionism and achievement goals. They also
found that perfectionistic strivings had positive correlations
with the four types of achievement goals.
Negative aspects of perfectionism (i.e., perfectionistic
concerns) are associated with avoidance focus (Slade and
Owens 1998), and related to fear of mistakes of failure (Hill
and Curran 2016), which may lead one to avoid engaging
in challenging tasks (i.e., avoidance focus). However, per-
fectionistic concerns are associated with not only avoidance
goals (i.e., performance-avoidance and mastery-avoidance
goals) but also performance-approach goals (Lee and Ander-
man 2020). Individuals with perfectionistic concerns are the-
oretically motivated by social criteria or evaluations by oth-
ers (Frost et al. 1990; Hewitt and Flett 1991). Placing value
on social criteria and evaluations by others is associated with
performance goals that focus on demonstrating competence
(Lee and Anderman 2020). Stoeber et al.’s (2018) analysis
of previous studies supported these associations; perfection-
istic concerns had positive correlations with performance-
approach, performance-avoidance, and mastery-avoidance
goals in most studies (e.g., Madjar et al. 2015).
Association between achievement goals
and academic burnout
Whether one is motivated to approach or avoid may be
closely related to the occurrence of burnout. Hobfoll’s
(1989, 2001) conservation of resources theory suggests
that people experience stress leading to burnout when their
valuable resources are threatened or lost, or when they do
not regain enough resources following resource investment.
According to Hobfoll (2001), because people are more sen-
sitive to loss than gain, the impact of loss is stronger than
that of gain if the amount of resources is equal. Thus, the
harmful effects of losing resources related to academic burn-
out may be stronger than the mitigating effects of gaining
resources related to academic burnout (Naidoo et al. 2012).
The effects of achievement goals on academic burnout may
differ, depending on achievement goal subtype.
To date, the association between achievement goals and
academic burnout has not been clarified. A limited number
of studies empirically investigated this relation, and they
reported slight variations in the patterns of association.
Naidoo et al. (2012) reported that avoidance goals have a
positive association, whereas approach goals have a nega-
tive or insignificant association, with academic burnout. Yu
and Chae (2016) showed that academic burnout is positively
associated with avoidance goals and negatively associated
with approach goals.
However, relevant studies for other populations (e.g.,
nurses, firefighters, and athletes) showed different patterns
of achievement goals and burnout from the aforementioned
studies (Naidoo et al. 2012; Yu and Chae 2016). In a study
conducted with nurses (Adriaenssens et al. 2015), mastery-
approach goals negatively predicted, while performance-
avoidance goals positively predicted, burnout; moreover,
mastery-avoidance and performance-approach goals did not
significantly predict burnout. In a study conducted with fire-
fighters (Vaulerin et al. 2016), only mastery-avoidance goals
showed a positive association with burnout. Additionally,
in a study conducted with athletes (Isoard-Gautheur et al.
2016), mastery-approach goals were negatively associated
and mastery-avoidance goals were positively associated with
burnout, whereas there was no significant association found
between performance goals and burnout.
Some studies reported that the associations found between
achievement goals and each factor of academic burnout
were slightly different. Kim, Lim, and Noh (2016) identi-
fied negative associations for mastery-approach goals with
both cynicism and inefficacy, a positive association between
performance goals and emotional exhaustion, and a negative
association between performance goals and inefficacy.
In summary, there are significant associations between
achievement goals and academic burnout; however, the spe-
cific directions of associations between achievement goal
13

subtypes and academic burnout remain unclear. Addition-
ally, some studies (e.g., Kim et al. 2016) did not utilize the
2 × 2 framework of achievement goals (Elliot and McGregor
2001); thus, they did not examine the association between
mastery-avoidance goals and academic burnout. Therefore,
more studies are needed to clarify the associations between
achievement goals and academic burnout.
Research question and hypotheses
In the present study, we aimed to address the following
research question: Do achievement goals mediate the rela-
tion between perfectionism and academic burnout? Based
on the results of previous studies (see Stoeber et al. 2018),
we hypothesized the association between perfectionism and
achievement goals; however, we did not hypothesize the spe-
cific effect of achievement goals on academic burnout. The
study’s hypotheses are as follows:
Hypothesis 1.1 Perfectionistic strivings have significant
associations with four types of achievement goals.
Hypothesis 1.2 Four types of achievement goals mediate the
negative association between perfectionistic strivings and
academic burnout.
Hypothesis 2.1 Perfectionistic concerns have significant
associations with avoidance goals (i.e., performance-avoid-
ance goals and mastery-avoidance goals) and performance-
approach goals.
Hypothesis 2.2 Avoidance goals and performance-approach
goals mediate the positive association between perfectionis-
tic concerns and academic burnout.
As previous empirical evidence was insufficient, the
association between perfectionistic concerns and mastery-
approach goals was not hypothesized.
Method
Participants and procedure
Data were collected from a group of undergraduate stu-
dents enrolled in a non-major, elective psychology course
at a comprehensive university, considered one of the most
prestigious in Seoul, South Korea. This course was selected
for data collection because students enrolled in the course
had diverse majors, including art and design, social sci-
ences, engineering, and education. Participants voluntarily
completed a series of questionnaires in exchange for a small
13
E. Chang et al.
amount of course extra credit, as permitted by the course
instructor. Participants completed the survey on their own
time, at a location available to them, using an online survey
tool. To reduce the likelihood of common method bias on
participants’ responses (Tourangeau et al. 2003), measures
were presented in a randomized order. The survey was con-
ducted in May 2017, during a period between midterm and
final examinations, to reduce the effects of exam-related
stressors on students’ responses. A total of 281 students were
recruited as participants. There were no missing data, as it
was impossible to skip an item in the online survey without
providing a response. Of the 281 students (154 males and
127 females), 21.4% were freshmen, 48.8% were sopho-
mores, 20.3% were juniors, and 9.6% were seniors. Partici-
pants’ mean age was 20.68 years (SD = 2.00; range = 17 − 27
years). Of the participants, 118 (42.0%) majored in STEM,
115 (41.0%) majored in arts, humanities, or social sciences,
andays 48 (17.1%) did not report their majors.
Measures
Academic burnout
The Korean version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Stu-
dent Survey (MBI-SS; Shin et al. 2011) was used to meas-
ure participants’ levels of academic burnout. The MBI-SS
consists of five items measuring emotional exhaustion (e.g.,
“I feel emotionally drained by my studies”), four items for
cynicism (e.g., “I have become more cynical about the
potential usefulness of my studies”), and six items for aca-
demic efficacy (e.g., “During class I feel confident that I am
effective in getting things done”).
The academic efficacy subscale is usually reverse-coded
to measure academic inefficacy. Several studies have sug-
gested this subscale to be more closely related with aca-
demic engagement, leaving emotional exhaustion and cyni-
cism as the “core” factors of burnout (e.g., Schaufeli et al.
2000). Zhang, Gan, and Chan (2007) also found that the
academic efficacy subscale loaded better on a latent aca-
demic engagement variable, instead of burnout, in a Chinese
sample. Following this reasoning, without the academic effi-
cacy subscale, the emotional exhaustion and cynicism sub-
scales served as indicators of academic burnout as a latent
construct in the analyses in the present study. Each item
is rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to
5 = strongly agree), with a higher score indicating a higher
level of academic burnout. Shin et al. (2011) calculated the
internal consistency of the MBI-SS to be .86 for emotional
exhaustion and .82 for cynicism. Cronbach’s alpha coeffi-
cients of the MBI-SS in the current study were .84 and .88
for emotional exhaustion and cynicism, respectively.
Exploring the relationship between perfectionism and academic burnout through achievement…
Perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns
Measures of perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic con-
cerns were selected from the Multidimensional Perfection-
ism Scale (MPS; Hewitt and Flett 1991), Frost Multidimen-
sional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS; Frost et al. 1990), and
Almost Perfect Scale-Revised (APS-R; Slaney et al. 2001).
The Korean version of the MPS (Han 1993) contains 15
items assessing self-oriented perfectionism (e.g., “I must
work to my full potential at all times”) and another 15 items
measuring socially prescribed perfectionism (e.g., “Anything
that I do that is less than excellent will be seen as poor work
by those around me”). Each item is rated on a 7-point Lik-
ert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree). The
Korean version of the FMPS (Chung 1999), employing a
5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly
agree), was used to measure concern over mistakes (9 items;
e.g., “People will probably think less of me if I make a mis-
take”), doubts about actions (4 items; “I usually have doubts
about the simple everyday things that I do”), and personal
standards (7 items; “I expect higher performance in my daily
tasks than most people”). These FMPS subscales were used
in previous studies assessing perfectionistic strivings and
perfectionistic concerns (e.g., Blankstein et al. 2008). From
the Korean validated version of the APS-R (Park 2009),
discrepancy (10 items; e.g., “My performance rarely meas-
ures up to my standards”) and high standards (5 items; “I
have high standards for my performance at work or school”)
were also employed to comprehensively assess perfectionis-
tic concerns and perfectionistic strivings, respectively. The
APS-R uses a 7-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to
7 = strongly agree). The reliability and validity of the MPS
(Chang et al. 2016; Han 1993), FMPS (Huh et al. 2015), and
APS-R (Jeong and Lee 2013; Park 2009) have been estab-
lished in populations of Korean college students. The reli-
ability coefficients of the perfectionism measures used in the
present study were .90 for self-oriented perfectionism, .78
for socially prescribed perfectionism, .80 for personal stand-
ards, .87 for concern over mistakes, .65 for doubts about
actions, .82 for high standards, and .89 for discrepancy.
Self-oriented perfectionism from the MPS, personal
standards from the FMPS, and high standards from the
APS-R similarly focus on individuals’ strivings to achieve
perfection (see Hill and Curran 2016; Stoeber and Otto
2006); thus, these three subscales were used to represent per-
fectionistic strivings. Socially prescribed perfectionism from
the MPS, concern over mistakes and doubts about actions
from the FMPS, and discrepancy from the APS-R involve
fear of failure to live up to one’s own and others’ high expec-
tations (Hill and Curran 2016; Stoeber and Otto 2006). Thus,
these facets of perfectionism served as indicators represent-
ing perfectionistic concerns as a latent construct.
Achievement goals
The 2 × 2 achievement goal orientations scale developed by
Park and Lee (2005) embraces two conceptual dimensions
of achievement goal orientations: definition (mastery vs.
performance) and valence (approach vs. avoidance). This
scale has been implemented in a number of studies with
Korean college students (e.g., Cho and Lee 2011; Seo 2009)
and measures mastery-approach (9 items; e.g., “The reason
why I study is to understand the content as thoroughly as
possible”), mastery-avoidance (5 items; e.g., “It is satisfac-
tory for me to understand the content to a certain extent”),
performance-approach (7 items; e.g., “I want to be recog-
nized as someone who performs better than others”), and
performance-avoidance goals (5 items; e.g., “I don’t voice
my opinion during class because I’m afraid of being embar-
rassed when I’m wrong”). Each item is rated on a 6-point
Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 6 = strongly agree). The
internal consistency coefficients of the subscales in Park and
Lee’s (2005) study were .83 for mastery-approach, .69 for
mastery-avoidance, .88 for performance-approach, and .78
for performance-avoidance goals. In the current study, Cron-
bach’s alpha coefficients were .87 for mastery-approach, .75
for mastery-avoidance, .90 for performance-approach, and
.83 for performance-avoidance goals.
To represent latent constructs in the four subdimensions
of achievement goals, items for each subscale were parceled
into three indicators. Following recommendations from Ban-
dalos (2002), before parceling items, unidimensionality of
the subscales was tested, with Kaiser−Mayer−Olkin values
(> .70; Field 2013) and unrotated factor loadings for each
item (> .40; Hair et al. 2009) in exploratory factor analysis
as criteria. All dimensions of achievement goals showed
Kaiser−Mayer−Olkin values greater than .78 and factor
loadings greater than .52, indicating substantial unidimen-
sionality for each subscale. As the unidimensionality of each
subscale was assured, paired items with the highest and low-
est factor loadings were assigned successively to each parcel
(Bandalos 2008) (Table 1).
Data analysis
Prior to testing our hypotheses, means, standard deviations,
and reliabilities for the measures were examined. Then, the
measurement model and hypothesized structural model were
tested using Mplus 7.4 (Muthén and Muthén 1998−2017).
The fit of the measurement model was tested before test-
ing the structural model. For correlation coefficients among
latent variables, factor loadings between each latent vari-
able and its indicators were also examined. Next, the fit of
the hypothesized structural model (partial-mediation model)
was tested and compared to alternative models (full-medi-
ation models), using chi-squared tests. Then, each indirect
13
 E. Chang et al.

Table 1  Description of the scales

Construct Measure Example

Academic burnout MBI-SS (Shin et al. 2011; Schaufelit et al. 2000)

Emotional exhaustion
Cynicism
Perfectionistic strivings
Self-oriented perfectionism
Personal standards
High standards
Perfectionistic concerns
Socially prescribed perfectionism
Concern over mistakes
Doubts about actions
Discrepancy
Achievement goals
Mastery-approach
Mastery-avoidance
Performance-approach
Performance-avoidance
5 items, 1–5 scale “I feel emotionally drained by my studies”
4 items, 1–5 scale “I have become less enthusiastic about my studies”
MPS (Han 1993; Hewitt and Flett 1991), FMPS (Chung 1999; Frost et al.1990), APS-R (Park 2009;
Slaney et al. 2001)
MPS, 15 items, 1–7 scale “I must work to my full potential at all times”
FMPS, 7 items, 1–5 scale “I set higher goals for myself”
APS-R, 5 items, 1–7 scale “I have high standards for my performance at work
or school”
MPS, FMPS, APS-R
MPS, 15 items, 1–7 scale “Anything that I do that is less than excellent will be
seen as poor work by those around me”
FMPS, 9 items, 1–5 scale “People will probably think less of me if I make a
mistake”
FMPS, 4 items, 1–5 scale “It takes me a long time to do something right”
APS-R, 10 items, 1–7 scale “My performance rarely measures up to my stand-
ards”
2 × 2 Achievement Goal Orientation Scale (Park and Lee 2005)
9 items, 1–6 scale “The reason why I study is to understand the content
as thoroughly as possible”
5 items, 1–6 scale “It is satisfactory for me to understand the content to
a certain extent”
7 items, 1–6 scale “I want to be recognized as someone who performs
better than others”
5 items, 1–6 scale “I don’t voice my opinion during class because I’m
afraid of being embarrassed when I’m wrong”

effect was tested using the bootstrap approach. Since the
hypothesized mediation model included more than one
mediating variable, it was necessary to investigate the indi-
vidual indirect effect of each mediation path, as well as the
total indirect effects (Cheung 2007). To estimate and com-
pare the strengths of each mediation effect, phantom varia-
bles were used. The variances of the phantom variables were
zero; thus, they exerted no influence on model fit, implied
covariance matrix, or parameter estimates (Cheung 2007).
By using phantom variables, bias-corrected bootstrap confi-
dence intervals can be produced for specific indirect effects
(see Lau and Cheung 2012). Thus, specific indirect effects
within a complex mediation model with several mediation
paths can be estimated.
Several fit indices were used to evaluate model fit, includ-
ing chi-squared (χ2) statistics, Tucker−Lewis index (TLI),
the comparative fit index (CFI), and the root mean square
error of approximation (RMSEA). Although χ2 statistics test
whether the actual data fits the model, it is sensitive to sam-
ple size (McDonald and Ho 2002). Thus, other fit indices
were also considered. The cut-off value for RMSEA is less
than .08 (Browne and Cudeck 1993). TLI and CFI values
greater than .95 are regarded as a good fit, and values greater
than .90 are regarded as a reasonable fit (Hu and Bentler
1999).
Using these model fit indices, we compared three nested
models. The initial model, Model A, includes all hypoth-
esized paths between latent variables. The second model,
Model B, constrained a direct path from perfectionistic striv-
ings to academic burnout. The last model, Model C, addi-
tionally constrained another direct path from perfectionistic
concerns to academic burnout. By comparing these models,
we aimed to test whether the relationships from perfection-
ism to academic burnout through achievement goals were
fully or partially mediated.
Results
Descriptive statistics
Means, standard deviations, and correlations among meas-
ured variables are presented in Table 2. Perfectionistic
strivings and perfectionistic concerns were significantly
positively correlated. Additionally, the four dimensions
of achievement goals were significantly correlated, except
for mastery-avoidance and performance-approach goals.

13
Exploring the relationship between perfectionism and academic burnout through achievement…
Mastery-approach goals and mastery-avoidance goals were
correlated with perfectionistic strivings, but not perfection-
istic concerns. Performance-approach goals showed a sig-
nificant correlation with both perfectionistic strivings and
perfectionistic concerns, except for discrepancy, while per-
formance-avoidance goals displayed a significant correlation
with only perfectionistic concerns. Notably, the exhaustion
measure of academic burnout showed a significant positive
correlation with perfectionistic concerns, whereas cynicism
was primarily negatively correlated with perfectionistic
strivings. As all measurements met the criteria of normality
(skewness< 2.0, kurtosis < 7.0; West et al. 1995), further
analysis was conducted.
Measurement model
Prior to testing our hypotheses, we evaluated multivari-
ate normality of the variables. Mardia’s (1970) coefficient
was greater than 5, indicating that measured variables were
significantly non-normal. Maximum likelihood estimation
requires that the assumption of multivariate normality be
met (Hu et al. 1992). Therefore, we used robust-maximum
likelihood estimation procedures and model fit was tested
using the Satorra−Bentler scaled χ2 (S-B χ2; Satorra and
Bentler 2001), corrected for non-normality, along with TLI,
CFI, and RMSEA.
Confirmatory factor analysis was performed for a full
measurement model, including all latent variables. The
measurement model, which was used to test a structural
model, displayed an acceptable fit to the data: S-B χ 2
(168, N = 281) = 260.217, TLI = .944, CFI = .955, and
RMSEA = .044. Each subscale of perfectionism and aca-
demic burnout, as well as each parcel of achievement goal
subscales, showed significant factor loadings to the respec-
tive latent variables, with loadings ranging from .57 to .94.
Correlations among latent variables are shown in Table 3.
Although perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic con-
cerns were rather strongly correlated, there was no indica-
tion of problems regarding multicollinearity (variance infla-
tion factor = 2.00).
Structural model
An initial structural model (Model A), with perfectionistic
strivings and perfectionistic concerns as predictor variables,
academic burnout as a dependent variable, and the four
dimensions of achievement goals as simultaneous media-
tors, was tested. In this model, all paths among latent vari-
ables, except for the path from perfectionistic concerns to
mastery-approach goals, were allowed. As shown in Table 4,
Model A, which included two direct paths from perfection-
ism to academic burnout (i.e., the path from perfectionistic
strivings to academic burnout and from perfectionistic
concerns to academic burnout), indicated reasonable fit
and served as baseline. Next, to test whether achievement
goal variables fully or partially mediated the relationships
between perfectionism and academic burnout, alternative
models, in which direct paths from perfectionism to aca-
demic burnout were constrained to be zero, were tested.
Model fit comparisons were made using the DIFFTEST
option in Mplus, because the difference between two S-B χ2
is not distributed as χ2 (Satorra and Bentler 2010).
First, the direct path from perfectionistic strivings to aca-
demic burnout was constrained to be zero (Model B). An
S-B χ2 difference test showed that this constrained model
(Model B) showed better data fit than Model A (ΔS-B
χ2(1) = .250, p > .05).
Next, in Model C, a direct path from perfectionistic con-
cerns to academic burnout was also constrained to be zero,
from Model B. Model C displayed significantly poorer fit
to the data than Model B (ΔS-B χ2(1) = 21.305, p < .001).
Therefore, Model B, in which achievement goal dimen-
sions fully mediated the relationship between perfectionistic
strivings and academic burnout, and partially mediated the
relationship between perfectionistic concerns and academic
burnout, was chosen as the final model.
Path coefficients of the final structural model are pre-
sented in Fig. 1. In the final model, perfectionistic strivings
significantly predicted all four dimensions of achievement
goals (β = .53, − .91, .26, and − .43 for mastery-approach,
mastery-avoidance, performance-approach, and perfor-
mance-avoidance goals, respectively, ps < .01). These results
indicated that Hypothesis 1–1, which predicted the relation-
ship between perfectionistic strivings and the four goal ori-
entation subscales, was supported. The direct path from per-
fectionistic strivings to academic burnout was constrained to
be equal to zero in the final structural model, which implied
that this path became non-significant by introducing indirect
paths.
Perfectionistic concerns significantly predicted mastery-
avoidance, performance-approach, and performance-avoid-
ance goals (β = .78, .44, and .73, respectively, ps < .001),
indicating Hypothesis 2–1was supported. Perfectionistic
concerns also significantly predicted academic burnout
(β = .47, p < .001). Both mastery-approach and mastery-
avoidance goals displayed significant effects on academic
burnout (β = − .63 and .44, respectively, ps < .001); however,
performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals
showed non-significant effects on academic burnout.
Indirect effects
In the final model, three indirect effects were found: (a)
a path from perfectionistic strivings to academic burn-
out through mastery-approach goals; (b) a path from
13
 E. Chang et al.

perfectionistic strivings to academic burnout through mas-

(.83)
13
tery-avoidance goals; and (c) a path from perfectionistic con-
cerns to academic burnout through mastery-avoidance goals.

.32**
As paths from both performance-approach and performance-

(.90)
12

avoidance goals to academic burnout were not significant,

these variables were not considered to be significant media-

.30**
− .05
(.75)
tors in the model. To test the significance of indirect effects,
11

a bootstrap method with 1,000 bootstrapping samples and

95% bias-corrected confidence intervals (CI) was performed.

− .56**

-.21**
.22**
(.87)
The total indirect effects of both perfectionistic striv-
10

ings and perfectionistic concerns on academic burnout

were significant (β = − .724, 95% CI [− .989, − .474] for

.19**
(.89)
perfectionistic strivings; β = .341, 95% CI [.148, .561] for

.31
.02
.08
9

perfectionistic concerns). As there were two mediators in

the link between perfectionistic strivings and academic burn-
.25**
.35**
.53**
(.65)

.08
.11

out (i.e., mastery-approach and mastery-avoidance goals),

8

each indirect effect should be examined beyond the total

.36**
.55**
.56**
.59**

indirect effect. To estimate and test specific indirect effects,

(.87)

.10
.09
7

phantom variables were adopted. Results of total, direct, and

indirect effect analysis are presented in Table 5. Hypothesis
.27**
.39**
.60**
.44**
.42**
(.78)

1–2 was partially supported: negative indirect effects linking

.09
.07
6

perfectionistic strivings and academic burnout were found

for both mastery-approach (β = − .333) and mastery-avoid-
− .34**
.43**
.39**
.43**
.26**
.46**
.32**
(.82)

ance goals (β = − .398). Hypothesis 2–2 was also partially

.05
Table 2  Means, standard deviations, correlation coefficients, and internal consistency of measured variable
5

supported: after excluding non-significant paths, a positive

indirect effect was found from perfectionistic concerns to
− .24**
.53**
.44**
.41**
.78**
.40**
.63**
.43**

academic burnout via mastery-avoidance goals (β = .341).

(.80)

.10

Bootstrapped 95% CIs for these indirect effects did not con-
4

tain zero, indicating these indirect paths were statistically

− .26**

significant. Notably, the direct effect of perfectionistic con-

.43**
.32**
.40**
.50**
.52**
.31**
.71**
.62**
(.90)

.08

cerns on academic burnout remained significant after intro-

3

ducing indirect paths through achievement goals.

− .16**
− .21**
− .13*

.21**
.49**
− .03
− .56
(.88)

.13*
.07
.08
.09
2

Discussion
− .29**

.25**
.40**
.28**
.29**
.26**
.18**
.42**

− .06
− .01
(.84)

The present study examined the relationship between per-

.08
.05
1

fectionism (i.e., perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic

concerns) and academic burnout, focusing on the mediating
1.00
.99
.76
.70
.99
.74
.68
.74
.72
.74
.90
.98
.94
SD

roles that 2 × 2 achievement goals play for college students.

First, Hypothesis 1–1 was supported, as perfectionistic
3.28
3.70
3.11
2.95
3.63
3.98
2.79
3.77
2.79
2.76
2.61
4.73
3.22

strivings were significantly associated with all types of

M

achievement goals. Specifically, when considering the cor-

Cronbach’s alphas are in parentheses

relation between the two perfectionism dimensions, perfec-

6. Socially prescribed perfectionism

tionistic strivings had a positive association with approach

13. Performance-avoidance goal
12. Performance-approach goal
3. Self-oriented perfectionism

goals and a negative association with avoidance goals. These

11. Mastery-avoidance goal
10. Mastery-approach goal

results implied that individuals with perfectionistic striv-

7. Concern over mistakes
8. Doubts about actions

ings tend to approach positive outcomes and do not avoid

4. Personal standards

*p < .05, **p < .01

negative outcomes. Previous studies have reported positive

5. High standards

9. Discrepancy

bivariate correlations between perfectionistic strivings and

1. Exhaustion
2. Cynicism

all types of achievement goals (e.g., Kim et al. 2015; Kim

and Choi 2017); however, our findings showed different pat-
terns of association between perfectionistic strivings and

13
Exploring the relationship between perfectionism and academic burnout through achievement…

Table 3  Correlations among Latent variables 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

latent variables
1. Perfectionistic strivings –
2. Perfectionistic concerns .71*** –
3. Mastery-approach goal .50*** .12 –
4. Mastery-avoidance goal − .32*** .14 − .69*** –
5. Performance-approach goal .57*** .60*** .24*** − .05 –
6. Performance-avoidance goal .10 .41*** − .23** .32*** .35*** –
7. Academic burnout − .15 .31*** − .51*** .77*** .02 .33*** –

**p < .01, ***p < .001

Table 4  Model fit indices for Model S-B χ2 df Δχ2 TLI CFI RMSEA (90% CI)
measurement and structural
models Cutoff values – – – > .90 > .90 ≤ .08
Measurement model 260.217 168 – .944 .955 .044 (.033–.054)
Model A 330.261 175 – .909 .924 .056 (.047–.065)
Model B 330.890 176 .250 .910 .924 .056 (.047–.065)
Model C 342.942 177 21.305*** .904 .919 .058 (.049–.067)

***p < .001

avoidance goals, when accounting for the overlap between perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns. As

Fig. 1  Final structural model

Perfectionistic
(Model B). Note Solid paths Strivings
.53 Mastery-
are statistically significant at approach goal
p < .01. Non-significant paths
-.63
are dotted. Indicators and error -.91
variables are not represented for
clarity .26 Mastery-
avoidance goal .44

.70 -.43 Academic

-.07 Burnout
Performance-
approach goal

.47
-.06
.78 .44

Perfectionistic Performance-
Concerns avoidance goal
.73

Table 5  Direct and indirect β B SE Bootstrap CI (95%)

effect of perfectionism on
academic burnout PS→Academic burnout
Direct effect (PS→Academic burnout) .0 .0 N/A N/A
Indirect effect (PS→MAP→Academic burnout) − .333 − .218 .049 (− .491, − .197)
Indirect effect (PS→MAV→Academic burnout) − .398 − .261 .085 (− .640, − .179)
PC→Academic burnou
Direct effect (PC→Academic burnout) .467 .358 .103 (.257, .734)
Indirect effect (PC→MAV→Academic burnout) .341 .262 .088 (.148, .561)

PS perfectionistic strivings, PC perfectionistic concerns, MAP mastery-approach goals, MAV mastery-

avoidance goals

13

Stoeber et al. (2018) noted, it could be argued that the
associations between perfectionism and achievement goals
would become clearer when the positive association between
the two perfectionism dimensions is considered.
Second, Hypothesis 1–2 was partially supported, as only
mastery goals (i.e., mastery-approach and mastery-avoid-
ance goals) mediated the negative association between
perfectionistic strivings and academic burnout. Specifi-
cally, perfectionistic strivings had a positive association
with mastery-approach goals, which negatively predicted
academic burnout. Further, perfectionistic strivings had a
negative association with mastery-avoidance goals which,
in turn, positively predicted academic burnout. The negative
association between mastery-approach goals and academic
burnout in the present study was consistent with previ-
ous research that showed the positive effects of mastery-
approach goals in academic settings (e.g., Putwain et al.
2018; Wang et al. 2017). For example, in Putwain et al.’s
(2018) study, mastery-approach goals predicted behavio-
ral engagement, which is positively linked to achievement.
In Ranellucci et al. (2015) study, mastery-approach goals
predicted greater enjoyment of learning, which is linked to
effective self-regulated learning (i.e., cognitive elaboration).
Third, Hypothesis 2–1 was supported, as perfectionistic
concerns had significant associations with performance-
approach, performance-avoidance, and mastery-avoidance
goals, consistent with previous studies (e.g., Lee and Ander-
man 2020). The positive association between perfectionistic
concerns and avoidance goals reflected the avoidance ten-
dency of perfectionistic concerns, as described by the dual
process model of perfectionism (Slade and Owens 1998).
In addition, the positive association between perfectionistic
concerns and performance goals supported previous findings
(e.g., Lee and Anderman 2020). For individuals with per-
fectionistic concerns, others (rather than themselves) serve
as reference points, which is theoretically linked to perfor-
mance goals that focus on the demonstration of competence
or not incompetence (Lee and Anderman 2020).
Fourth, Hypothesis2–2 was partially supported, as only
mastery-avoidance goals partially mediated the positive
association between perfectionistic concerns and academic
burnout. This deleterious effect of mastery-avoidance
goals was consistent with the previous literature (Mih
et al. 2015; Senko and Freund 2015). In Senko and Fre-
und’s (2015) study, young adults (18 − 32 years) perceived
mastery-avoidance goals to be more difficult to attain than
mastery-approach goals, and the perceived difficulty of
mastery-avoidance goals was linked to lower levels of inter-
est, perceived competence, and performance. While older
adults generally experience resource loss, younger adults
generally experience resource gain (e.g., gaining knowledge,
social networks, and money); relative inexperience in pur-
suing avoidance goals may be linked to lower enjoyment
13
E. Chang et al.
and task performance for younger adults (Senko and Freud
2015). Therefore, it seems that even though the trait of mas-
tery goals (i.e., focusing on intrapersonal standards) is the
same in mastery-approach and mastery-avoidance goals, the
avoidance element of mastery-avoidance goals (i.e., focus-
ing on avoiding failure or negative outcomes) led to nega-
tive consequences (i.e., high levels of academic burnout) for
college students in the present study. According to Schnelle,
Brandstätter, and Knöpfel (2010), adoption of approach or
avoidance goals is affected by the level of goal-relevant
resources. People adopt approach goals if they have many
goal-relevant resources, whereas they adopt avoidance goals
if they have fewer goal-relevant resources. Thus, it can be
considered that individuals who perceive academic goal-
relevant resources (e.g., social support, time, and energy)
as limited adopt mastery-avoidance goals, and perceiving
few resources is linked to academic burnout (Hobfoll 1989).
Performance goals (i.e., performance-approach and
performance-avoidance goals) did not significantly pre-
dict academic burnout in the present study. This result was
inconsistent with previous studies that showed significant
associations between those factors (e.g., Naidoo et al. 2012),
and some studies that reported a significant effect of per-
formance goals on academic settings (e.g., Chen and Wong
2015; Shih 2018; Zhou and Wang 2019). This inconsistency
may be due to the effects of performance goals, which could
vary depending on the learning context. King et al. (2017)
reported that performance goals have significant positive
effects on educational outcomes in Hong Kong, unlike in
some other countries, because performance goals are more
dominant in Hong Kong, which has a competitive learn-
ing atmosphere. Similarly, Confucianism and social norms
emphasize educational success in a Korean cultural context
(Lee and Ju 2019). South Korean undergraduate students
are familiar with a competitive educational context, as they
take many high-stakes exams, including the College Scho-
lastic Ability Test (Kwon et al. 2017). Therefore, embracing
performance goals may not be a “big deal” for them, thus
reducing the effects of performance goals on academic burn-
out. Other learning contexts, such as grade level, may also
create this inconsistency. For example, Lee (2010) reported
a positive association between performance-avoidance goals
and academic burnout for South Korean middle and high
school students, whereas the association was non-significant
in the present study. The different learning context between
secondary and post-secondary school may be the reason for
this inconsistency. Further research is needed to analyze how
different cultures or educational contexts affect the relation-
ship between performance goals and academic outcomes.
The present study can provide some suggestions for
college faculty members and support staff to prevent aca-
demic burnout in students. First, students can be screened
for high levels of perfectionistic concerns, and counseling
Exploring the relationship between perfectionism and academic burnout through achievement…
or consulting services to prevent academic burnout can be
provided. Our findings indicated that higher-level mastery-
approach goals and lower-level mastery-avoidance goals
were related to lower levels of academic burnout for perfec-
tionistic students. Thus, practitioners may promote interven-
tion programs that help perfectionistic students adopt mas-
tery-approach goals, rather than mastery-avoidance goals
(e.g., encouraging self-enhancement).
Further, because students are likely to adopt achieve-
ment goals that are in line with perceived classroom goal
structure (Peng et al. 2018), educators should create a
mastery-approach classroom goal structure by emphasizing
self-improvement and effort, rather than comparisons and
competition with peers (Gertsakis et al. 2020). Addition-
ally, educators should provide a mastery goal structure for
students under a low-performance goal structure (Skaalvik
and Federici 2016). According to Skaalvik and Federici
(2016), the meaning of a mastery goal structure within a
specific learning context can be perceived differently by
students, depending on the level of performance goal struc-
ture. That is, under strong-performance goal structures, stu-
dents perceive the importance of mastery goals as related
to performance goals. For example, they could interpret the
importance of self-improvement in terms of proving their
competence to others. However, under low-performance goal
structures, a strong-mastery goal structure facilitates stu-
dents’ abilities to perceive mastery goals (e.g., self-improve-
ment) themselves as meaningful.
There were some limitations to the present study. First,
all theoretical variables were measured at once; therefore,
it is difficult to infer causal relationships among the vari-
ables. To more accurately examine the causal relationships
among variables, a longitudinal study should be conducted.
Second, this study relied on self-report questionnaires. Even
though self-report questionnaires are commonly used to
measure perfectionism and academic burnout, achievement
goal orientations can be situationally operationalized in an
experimental setting (e.g., Senko and Freund 2015). Hence,
it is recommended to replicate this study by implementing
an experimental research design. Additionally, the sample
in the present study was recruited from a single university.
Follow-up research should include multiple institutions and
more varied populations.
Conclusions
The present study confirmed the mediating role of mastery
goal orientations in the association between perfectionism
and academic burnout. Specifically, the results indicated
that higher levels of mastery-approach goals and lower
levels of mastery-avoidance goals are associated with
academic burnout in perfectionists. Previous relevant stud-
ies have partially reported the associations among these
variables; however, this study demonstrated the integrated
relationships among the variables using structural equation
modeling. Furthermore, by adopting a 2 × 2 goal orienta-
tion framework, this study broadened the understanding
of achievement goals and their effects on psychological
health, including academic burnout. Inconsistent with
prior studies that showed positive or negative effect of
performance goals on academic settings, this study did
not show a significant effect of performance goals on
academic burnout. Related to this result, the possibility
that the effects of performance goals may differ depend-
ing on educational context (e.g., culture or grade level)
should be considered. Through this study, students with
perfectionistic traits themselves may better understand
the reasons why they experience academic burnout and
make efforts to prevent it. Furthermore, educators will be
able to create an educational environment that emphasizes
mastery-approach goals to prevent academic burnout in
perfectionists.
Acknowledgements This work was supported by the National
Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Govern-
ment (NRF-2017S1A5A2A01025536).
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