Impact of professional identity on learning engagement among English majors: the chain mediating role of core self-evaluation and critical thinking

Abstract

Background – In the context of rapid advancements in intelligent language technology, issues concerning professional identity and learning engagement among English majors have become increasingly prominent. Some students experience unclear professional identity and insufficient academic engagement, which affects the quality of talent cultivation. Objective – This study explored the influence of professional identity on academic engagement among English majors by examining the sequential mediating effects of core self-evaluation and critical thinking. Methods – A total of 327 English major undergraduates were recruited via cluster random sampling between March and April 2025. They completed validated scales measuring professional identity, academic engagement, core self-evaluation, and critical thinking. We conducted Pearson’s correlation analysis to examine the bivariate correlations among the study variables. We applied the bias-corrected nonparametric percentile bootstrap method to test the mediating effects. Results – Significant positive correlations were observed between professional identity, academic engagement, core self-evaluation, and critical thinking among English major undergraduates (p < 0.05). The mediating effect test showed that the direct predictive effect of professional identity on academic engagement among English major undergraduates was significant (p < 0.05). Both the simple mediating and serial mediating roles of core self-evaluation and critical thinking in the relationship between professional identity and academic engagement were significant. Specifically, the value of the serial mediating effect was 0.021, 95% CI [0.003, 0.044], accounting for 3.13% of the total effect. Conclusion – The professional identity of English majors can directly predict academic engagement. It also exerts an indirect influence on academic engagement through simple mediators such as core self-evaluation and critical thinking, as well as through chain mediation involving both.