<![CDATA[This study investigated how motivation and learning strategies are related among students in Omani General Foundation Programs (GFPs) and how contextual conditions help explain their alignment. A quantitatively driven explanatory mixed-methods design combined an adapted 20-item Revised Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F; n = 157) with semi-structured interviews (n = 12). Descriptive subgroup analyses used 153 cases with complete demographic information, whereas Pearson correlations used all 157 valid scale records. Survey responses were summarized as deep or surface motive and strategy orientations; interview data were analyzed thematically and integrated with the quantitative findings through narrative weaving. Deep motivation was strongly associated with deep strategy use (r = .598, p < .01), and surface motivation was moderately associated with surface strategy use (r = .455, p < .01). Gender groups showed similar dominant deep-motive/deep-strategy profiles. However, mismatched profiles—particularly deep motive combined with surface strategy—were descriptively more visible among students from private-school backgrounds and among those not planning further study. Interviews indicated that examination culture, institutional demands, family expectations, and future academic or career aspirations could either sustain meaningful engagement or redirect motivated learners toward short-term, surface approaches. Motivation was therefore consequential but insufficient on its own; the instructional and assessment environment shaped how it was translated into learning behavior. The findings inform autonomy-supportive teaching, assessment design, and strategy-focused learner support in foundation education.]]>
