ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Educational Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1603034
The Anxiety Behind the Screen: Exploring the Relationship between Knowledge-Based Videos Engagement and Learning Anxiety Among Postgraduate Entrance Exam Candidates, Mediated by Self-Efficacy
Provisionally accepted
Kunjin Xu
Dan Zhang*- Fuzhou Polytechnic, Fuzhou, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background: Knowledge-based videos play a crucial role in preparing for postgraduate entrance exams (PEE). However, they may also contribute to learning anxiety.Objective: This study examines the relationship between knowledge-based videos engagement and learning anxiety among PEE candidates, focusing on the mediating role of self-efficacy. The findings will offer empirical guidance for using knowledge-based videos to alleviate learning anxiety.Methods: From September 4 to 30, 2024, a convenience sampling method was used to survey 466 candidates preparing for the 2025 national PEE in China. Data were collected through the Knowledge-based Videos Engagement Questionnaire, the Learning Anxiety Questionnaire, and the Self-efficacy Questionnaire. A mediation analysis was conducted using Hayes' PROCESS macro with Bootstrap resampling (5,000 replications), and significance was assessed with 95% confidence intervals.The mean learning anxiety of the knowledge video engagement group was significantly higher than that of the non-engagement group, whereas the mean self-efficacy of the engagement group was significantly lower. ANOVA revealed significant differences in learning anxiety across varying levels of knowledge-based videos engagement. Notably, no significant difference was observed between the "none" and "mild" engagement categories. However, "moderate" engagement emerged as a critical threshold, with "moderate," "severe," and "extremely severe" engagement correlating with significantly increased learning anxiety. Mediation analysis indicated that knowledge-based videos engagement did not directly predict learning anxiety. Nevertheless, it was found to significantly and positively predict learning anxiety through the mechanism of self-efficacy.Both moderate and higher levels of knowledge-based videos engagement are associated with a significant increase in learning anxiety among PEE candidates, with self-efficacy acting as a complete mediator in this relationship. It is recommended that PEE candidates should adopt balanced video usage strategies and enhance their self-efficacy to reduce anxiety and improve learning outcomes.
Keywords: Knowledge-based videos engagement, Learning anxiety, self-efficacy, Postgraduate Entrance Exam (PEE) candidates, Mediating role
Received: 31 Mar 2025; Accepted: 30 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xu and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Dan Zhang, Fuzhou Polytechnic, Fuzhou, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.