Empowering the digital learner: Exploring the relationship between teacher support, autonomy in technology, and self-efficacy in Chinese vocational colleges

Abstract

In Chinese vocational colleges, students often avoid classroom challenges and lack persistent academic engagement. This was perceived as a deficiency in self-efficacy and a need for greater teacher–student engagement. The rapid advancement of information technology in educational contexts indicates that the dynamics among teacher support, technological autonomy, and self-efficacy will become crucial for learning outcomes. Hence, this study explored the relationship between teacher support and student self-efficacy, focusing on the mediating role of student autonomy in technology. A questionnaire survey administered to 606 first-year students was analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and Process V3.3. The results showed that teacher support and student self-efficacy were moderately positively correlated (r =.464, p