An Elaboration on the School Well-being Structural Model based on Emotional Regulation, Test Anxiety, and Academic Self-Efficacy: The Mediating Role of Academic Emotions

The present study examines the structural relationship of school well-being based on emotional regulation, test anxiety, and academic self-efficacy, considering students’ academic emotions as a mediating variable. The study was conducted as a descriptive-analytical work with a correlative nature. The sample group consisted of 384 male 9th-grade students in Islam Abad Gharb (Kermanshah Province, Iran). The participants were selected through multiple cluster sampling. The required data were gathered using the following five questionnaires: Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Gross and John, 2003), Test Examination Questionnaire (Friedman, Bendas-Jacob’s, 1997), Academic Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (Jinks & Morgan, 1999), Academic Emotions Questionnaire (Pekran, 2006), and School Well-Being Questionnaire (Konu et al., 2002). The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Overall, the results indicated that emotion regulation (r = 0.40), test anxiety (r = -0.36), and academic self-efficacy (r = 0.31) had a significant and direct effect on school well-being. In addition, the mediating role of academic emotions in the relationship of school well-being with emotional regulation, test anxiety, and academic self-efficacy was confirmed (P < 0.05). As can be inferred from these data, teachers, school principals, and educational officials can prepare the grounds for enhancing emotional regulation, academic self-efficacy, and test anxiety reduction. As a result, these factors can improve the students’ well-being.