ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Educational Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1629174
The Relationship Between Online Learning Self-Efficacy and Learning Engagement: The Mediating Role of Achievement Motivation and Flow Among Registered Nurses
Provisionally accepted
- 1North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
- 2Suining central hospital, Suining, China
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Abstract Objectives This study aimed to investigate the mediating effects of achievement motivation and flow in the relationship between online learning self-efficacy and learning engagement among registered nurses (RNs). Background Learning engagement is a critical predictor of core professional competencies in nursing. Understanding the factors that influence learning engagement is essential for designing effective educational strategies that support RNs' professional development. Design A cross-sectional electronic survey design was employed. Methods Data were collected from 657 RNs at two general hospitals in Sichuan Province, China, between March and May 2024. Participants completed validated instruments, including the Adult Online Learning Self-Efficacy Scale, Achievement Motives Scale (AMS), Educational Flow Scale (EduFlow-2), and Learning Engagement Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and mediation analysis were conducted using SPSS v29.0. Structural equation modeling was performed using AMOS v24.0. Results The average learning engagement score was 61.55 ± 11.07. Online learning self-efficacy (r = 0.498, p < 0.01), achievement motivation (r = 0.550, p < 0.01), and flow (r = 0.424, p < 0.01) were all positively associated with learning engagement. Achievement motivation (22.2%), flow (24.7%), and their chain effect (11.2%) partially mediated the link between self-efficacy and engagement. Conclusions Online learning self-efficacy exerts both direct and indirect influences on learning engagement, with the indirect effect mediated by achievement motivation and flow experiences. These findings offer empirical guidance for enhancing learning engagement in online educational settings.
Keywords: Nursing education, Online learning self-efficacy, Learning engagement, Mediation analysis, Flow
Received: 15 May 2025; Accepted: 08 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhou, Chen, Li, Yang and Zhao. 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:
Tong Zhou, 1683562051@qq.com
xixi Li, 2020t1570@pwu.edu.ph
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