The Impact of Meaning in Life on Academic Self-Efficacy: The Moderating Role of Psychological Resilience

Jingnan Wang; Ou Min

doi:10.62177/amit.v1i4.508

Authors

Jingnan Wang Northwest Normal University
Ou Min Northwest Normal University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62177/amit.v1i4.508

Keywords:

Meaning in Life, Academic Self-Efficacy, Resilience, Moderating Effect, University Students

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the impact of meaning in life on the academic self-efficacy of university students and the moderating role of resilience in this relationship. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 540 university students using the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale for University Students, and the Resilience Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS. The results showed that: (1) Meaning in life, resilience, and academic self-efficacy were all significantly positively correlated with each other (ps < 0.001); (2) Meaning in life significantly and positively predicted academic self-efficacy (β = 0.325, t = 8.639, p < 0.001); (3) Resilience played a significant moderating role in the relationship between meaning in life and academic self-efficacy (B = -0.0023, p < 0.05). Specifically, for students with low resilience, the positive impact of meaning in life on academic self-efficacy was more pronounced, whereas this effect was weaker for students with high resilience. The findings suggest that enhancing students' meaning in life is an effective way to boost their academic confidence, and that meaning in life serves as a crucial compensatory protective factor, especially for students with lower levels of resilience.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

King, L. A., & Hicks, J. A. (2021). The science of meaning in life. Annual Review of Psychology, 72, 561-584. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-072420-122921

Martela, F., & Steger, M. F. (2016). The three meanings of meaning in life: Distinguishing coherence, purpose, and significance. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 11(5), 531-545. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2015.1137623

George, L. S., & Park, C. L. (2016). Meaning in life as comprehension, purpose, and mattering: Toward integration and new research questions. Review of General Psychology, 20(3), 205-220. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/gpr0000077

Miao, M., & Cao, R. (2024). Mutually beneficial relationship between meaning in life and resilience. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 58, 101409. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2024.101409

McKnight, P. E., & Kashdan, T. B. (2009). Purpose in life as a system that creates and sustains health and well-being: An integrative, testable theory. Review of General Psychology, 13, 242-251. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017152

Trieu, E., & Abeyta, A. A. (2023). Finding Meaning in Education Bolsters Academic Self-Efficacy. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 8, 383-403. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41042-023-00095-5

Honicke, T., & Broadbent, J. (2016). The influence of academic self-efficacy on academic performance: A systematic review. Educational Research Review, 17, 63-84. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2015.11.002

Multon, K., Brown, S., & Lent, R. (1991). Relation of self-efficacy beliefs to academic outcomes: A meta-analytic investigation. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 38, 30-38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-0167.38.1.30

Bembenutty, H. (2009). Academic delay of gratification, self-efficacy, and time management among academically unprepared college students. Psychological Reports, 104, 613-623. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.104.2.613-623

Yuen, M., & Datu, J. A. D. (2021). Meaning in life, connectedness, academic self-efficacy, and personal self-efficacy: A winning combination. School Psychology International, 42, 79-99. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034320973370

Kalisch R., Müller MB, Tüscher O. (2014). A conceptual framework for the neurobiological study of resilience. Behav Brain Sci, 38, e92. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X1400082X

Troy AS, Willroth EC, Shallcross AJ, Giuliani NR, Gross JJ, Mauss IB. (2023). Psychological resilience: an affect-regulation framework. Annu Rev Psychol, 74, 547-576. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-020122-041854

Ostafin, B. D., & Proulx, T. (2020). Meaning in life and resilience to stressors. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 33(6), 1-22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2020.1800655

Schueler K, Fritz J, Dorfschmidt L, van Harmelen A-L, Stroemer E and Wessa M. (2021). Psychological Network Analysis of General Self-Efficacy in High vs. Low Resilient Functioning Healthy Adults. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 736147. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.736147

von Wendorff, C., et al. (2025). Psychological resilience and childhood maltreatment: The role of self-efficacy, personality functioning and social support in young adult residential care leavers. Child Abuse & Neglect, 163, 107317. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107317

Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The meaning in life questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(1), 80-93. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.53.1.80

Jia, J., et al. (2023). Effect of Academic Self-Efficacy on Test Anxiety of Higher Vocational College Students: The Chain Mediating Effect. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 16, 2417-2424. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S413382

Connor, K. M., & Davidson, J. R. (2003). Development of a new resilience scale: the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Depression and anxiety, 18(2), 76-82. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/da.10113