The mechanism of academic self-efficacy in the relationship between professional identity and learning engagement among university students

University students' learning engagement is related to the quality of talent cultivation in universities, which has an important impact on their academic performance and future development. In order to explore the influence of professional identity on university students' learning engagement and the mediating role of academic self-efficacy, the University Students' Professional Identity Questionnaire, the University Students' Academic Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, and the University Students' Learning Engagement Questionnaire were used to conduct questionnaire surveys and empirical analyses of 4,125 Chinese university students. Among them, professional identity was used as a predictor, academic self-efficacy as a mediating variable, and learning engagement as an outcome variable. SPSS 26 and PROCESS macro 3.5 were used to explore the mediating mechanism affecting university students' learning engagement. The findings of the study demonstrated the following: (1) All sub-dimensions of professional identity except affective professional identity showed a significant positive relationship on learning engagement; (2) Apart from two specific paths associated with the affective professional identity, the remaining sub-dimensions of professional identity exerted a positive partial mediating influence through the sub-dimension of academic self-efficacy; (3) The sub-dimensions of academic self-efficacy played a chain mediating role in the influence of the sub-dimensions of professional identity on learning engagement. This study enriches the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between professional identity and learning engagement, thus providing valuable insights for university workers and related personnel seeking to enhance students' learning engagement in higher education.