The chain mediating role of intrinsic motivation and academic engagement between teacher support and academic achievement among college students

Numerous studies have examined the direct and indirect relationships between teacher support and academic achievement in learners, primarily adolescents in the US, China, and other countries, but Vietnam has been excluded. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of intrinsic motivation and engagement between teacher support and academic achievement among college students in Vietnam. Six hundred forty-two Vietnamese college students (78.3% female) completed measures of perceived teacher support, intrinsic motivation, academic engagement, and academic achievement. SPSS 20 and SMART PLS 3.9 software were used for data analysis. The results of the study showed that teacher support is not directly related to academic achievement (B = 0.039, p > 0.05); academic engagement is fully mediated between teacher support and academic achievement (B = 0.076, 95% CI = [0.039; 0.114]); intrinsic motivation and academic engagement are fully chain mediated between teacher support and academic achievement (B = 0.021, 95% CI = [0.011; 0.033]). The results emphasize the role of intrinsic motivation and academic engagement between teacher support and academic achievement among college students. According to the findings of this study, to improve students academic achievement, measures should be strengthened on teacher support, intrinsic motivation and academic engagement.