Psychological Mechanisms of Students’ Classroom Engagement: Pathways of Learning Motivation, Self-Efficacy, and Emotional Engagement

Abstract

This study aims to explore in depth the internal psychological mechanisms influencing college students’ classroom engagement, with particular emphasis on the complex pathways through which learning motivation, self-efficacy, and emotional engagement operate. As a key indicator for evaluating the quality of the learning process and predicting academic achievement and individual development, classroom engagement has long been a central topic in the field of educational psychology. However, existing research has yet to establish an integrated theoretical explanation of the dynamic interactions among motivational, cognitive, and affective factors that drive students’ engagement behaviors. To address this gap, the present study constructs a moderated mediation model to systematically examine: (1) the direct predictive effect of learning motivation on classroom engagement; (2) the mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between learning motivation and classroom engagement; and (3) how emotional engagement moderates both the indirect pathway through which learning motivation influences classroom engagement via self-efficacy and the direct pathway between learning motivation and classroom engagement.A quantitative research approach was adopted. Data were collected from 623 college students across multiple universities using a questionnaire survey. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling were employed for empirical testing. The results indicate that learning motivation is a significant positive predictor of classroom engagement; self-efficacy plays a partial mediating role, accounting for 54.3% of the total effect; and emotional engagement significantly moderates both the direct effect of learning motivation on classroom engagement and the mediating effect of self-efficacy. This study provides an integrative perspective on how motivational, cognitive, and affective factors jointly shape students’ classroom behaviors, deepens theoretical understanding of the psychological mechanisms underlying classroom engagement, and offers empirical evidence and concrete suggestions for university instructors to design instructional strategies, cultivate positive classroom climates, and effectively enhance students’ learning engagement.