Purpose: The link between academic self-efficacy and academic achievement and its potential mediation by learning engagement was investigated in college students in China.
Methods: The Chinese versions of the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, Academic Achievement Scale, and Learning Engagement Scale were administered to 1158 Chinese college students (544 men, 614 women; age [years]: M =19.37, SD =1.16, ranging from 17 to 30 years; college year: 641 freshmen, 302 sophomores, 197 juniors, 18 seniors).
Results: The results showed that, among Chinese college students, there were positive correlations between academic self-efficacy and both academic achievement and learning engagement, and between learning engagement and academic achievement. Additionally, a structural equation model demonstrated that learning engagement could mediate the association between academic self-efficacy and achievement.
Conclusion: Academic self-efficacy, learning engagement, and academic achievement were found to be significantly and positively associated in Chinese college students, with the association between self-efficacy and achievement observed to be significantly mediated by learning engagement, which mediates the link between self-efficacy and achievement. As the study was cross-sectional, causal inferences were difficult to determine; thus, longitudinal studies should be conducted in the future for further analysis of the causal relationships between these three variables. The present research results reveal the mechanism by which academic self-efficacy of college students impacts their academic achievement, expanding the research perspective of learning engagement, and can help guide the development of interventions to improve college students’ academic achievement.
Keywords: academic self-efficacy, academic achievement, learning engagement, Chinese college students, mediating effect