Perceived Teacher Autonomy Support, Academic Self-efficacy and Academic Performance: The Moderating Role of Competitiveness and Gender

Abstract

The present study examined the link between perceived teacher autonomy support, academic self-efficacy, and academic performance and investigated how competitiveness and gender influence this relationship. Specifically, we hypothesized that a significant positive relationship would exist between perceived teacher autonomy support and academic self-efficacy, and between academic self-efficacy and academic performance. Next, we assumed that competitiveness would moderate the link between perceived teacher autonomy support and academic self-efficacy, and we examined the potential moderating role of gender on the relationship between academic self-efficacy and academic performance. Findings indicate that perceived teacher autonomy support is positively associated with academic self-efficacy, which, in turn, predicts higher academic performance. However, competitiveness moderates this relationship, with highly competitive students exhibiting a weaker link between autonomy support and self-efficacy, suggesting that they may thrive in more structured, performance-driven environments. Additionally, gender moderates the association between academic self-efficacy and academic performance, with male students demonstrating a stronger positive effect of self-efficacy on academic achievement compared to their female peers. These results highlight the importance of considering individual differences when designing autonomy-supportive teaching strategies to optimize academic outcomes for diverse student populations. Future research should explore tailored pedagogical interventions to enhance both self-efficacy and academic performance across different student profiles.