Growth mindset and academic resilience as predictors of academic engagement: A moderated mediation model

Abstract

This study examines how growth mindset (GM) and academic resilience (AR) are related to academic engagement (AE) among university students in Bangladesh, with particular attention to the role of academic self-efficacy (ASE) as a mediator and learning climate (LC) as a moderator. Data were collected from 392 undergraduate and postgraduate students studying at public, private, and national universities in Chattogram, Bangladesh, using a cross-sectional survey. Structured questionnaires were used for data collection, and the data were analyzed using SPSS and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. The results show positive associations of both GM and AR with ASE, while ASE was strongly and positively associated with AE. The mediating role of ASE was significant in the relationships of both GM and AR with AE. The findings further show a significant positive interaction between LC and GM in relation to ASE, while the indirect relationship between GM and AE through ASE differed across levels of LC. However, the interaction between LC and AR in relation to ASE was significant but negative, and the corresponding moderated mediation effect was also negative. Although both interaction effects were statistically significant, the AR pathway was not in the positive direction proposed in the hypotheses. The findings contribute to the empirical examination of Social Cognitive Theory and its triadic reciprocal determinism by considering the relationships among these variables in higher educational settings in Bangladesh. It also offers practical implications for educators and policymakers seeking to support students' academic engagement and self-efficacy in resource-constrained educational settings.