Family functioning and learning engagement of junior high school students in rural China: the mediating effect of academic self-efficacy

This study examined academic self-efficacy as a mediator in the relationship between family functioning and learning engagement by constructing a structural equation model. The participants were 817 students from public junior high schools in rural China. The data were collected by measuring family functioning, academic self-efficacy, and learning engagement using self-report assessments. The results indicated that family functioning was positively associated with learning engagement; academic self-efficacy significantly mediated the correlation between family functioning and learning engagement. In addition, the mediating effect of academic self-efficacy varied across dimensions of family functioning. These findings contribute to understanding the internal relationship between family functioning and learning engagement, and have implications for improving the learning engagement of disadvantaged students in rural areas.