Relationship between basic psychological needs and academic engagement with mediating role of self-efficacy

This study with the aim of investigating the structural relationship between basic psychological needs and academic engagement with mediation of self-efficacy was conducted. Research design was correlational and the relationships among three latent variables were investigated. The participants were 330 undergraduate university students selected through random multistage cluster sampling method from Shiraz University, completed the Basic Psychological Needs questionnaire (Gagné, 2003), the Self-efficacy Scale (Muris, 2001), and the Academic Engagement Scale (Reeve, 2013) in their regular classes. Data was analyzed using structural equation modeling and applying AMOS software. The findings showed that basic psychological needs could predict self-efficacy and academic engagement positively. Self-efficacy had direct effect on academic engagement. Also, basic psychological needs had indirect effect on academic engagement through self-efficacy as a mediator. The mediating role of self-efficacy using bootstrap test was statistically significant. According to findings of this research, it can be concluded that for increasing the probability of students’ academic engagement, it should be consider their basic psychological needs and self-efficacy