The influence of academic management and lecturer-student relationship on achievement motivation among students in a Chinese university

China holds a unique position because it has consistently placed a high value on education, with higher education being considered the forefront of education. China's gross enrolment rate in higher education hit 51.6% in 2019, marking the country's entry into the popularization stage. In order to further investigate the influence of academic management (AM1) and lecturer-student relationship (LSR) on students' achievement motivation (AM2) within Chinese higher education that has entered the stage of popularization of higher education, the researcher chose the second-year students of Huanghe Jiaotong University, which is located in the central region of China, as the research object. The researcher used the positivist paradigm, the quantitative research design, and the survey method to carry out a further study through the 388 valid questionnaires that were returned. The study revealed a significant difference between students' AM2 and LSR. There is a significant correlation between AM1, LSR, and AM2, with LSR having a more significant influence on AM2. The results of the study provide empirical research data on how to develop LSR in modern times, and provide a basis for adopting reasonable and scientific ways and methods for AM1, as well as new requirements. These can help improve the quality of talent cultivation in Chinese universities and even foreign universities by encouraging students to pursue goals and achieve them.