The mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between learner autonomy and early maladaptive schemas among learners of English as a foreign language

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine the impact of early maladaptive schemas on university students’ levels of autonomous learning and to investigate the mediating role of self-efficacy in this association. The participants were 249 undergraduate students aged 18 to 32, enrolled at a public university in Türkiye. Data were collected online using the Autonomous Learning Scale, the Young Schema Questionnaire–Short Form, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. The data were analyzed using correlational and mediation analyses to explore both direct and indirect effects. The findings indicated that the schemas of abandonment, failure, defectiveness, submission, and dependence were negatively associated with autonomous learning. Conversely, high standards schema showed a positive relationship with autonomous learning. Self-efficacy was found to significantly mediate the relationship between these early maladaptive schemas and autonomous learning, suggesting that students’ beliefs in their abilities play a crucial role in this mechanism.