THE MEDIATING ROLE OF ACADEMIC SELF-EFFICACY ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ACADEMIC PRESSURE AND STUDENT WELL-BEING

Abstract

Although there has been extensive research on the negative impact of academic pressure on students’ well-being, studies examining the psychological mechanisms capable of mitigating these effects remain scarce, particularly in the education sector. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of academic pressure on students’ well-being, with self-efficacy as a mediating factor and teachers’ emotional support as a moderating factor in this relationship. A cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted, covering a sample of 308 high school students. The data were analyzed using the Smart PLS 4.0 application through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that academic pressure is a significant predictor of student well-being (β = 0.428, p < 0.001) and self-efficacy (β = 0.486, p < 0.001), while self-efficacy is found to significantly enhance student well-being (β = 0.433, p < 0.001). Self-efficacy was identified as a partial mediator in the relationship between academic pressure and student well-being (β = 0.210, p < 0.001). Contribution of this study is the use of psychological mechanisms to mitigate the negative impact of academic pressure on student well-being. This differs from previous studies that explored this relationship directly. The findings of this study have practical implications for educators and policymakers by emphasizing the importance of strengthening students’ self-efficacy and creating an emotionally supportive classroom environment to enhance student well-being