Does Teacher Support Scaffold Engagement? Academic Self-Efficacy as Mediator and Proactive Personality as Moderator Among Chinese High School Students

The current study investigates how high school students' perceived teacher support relates to their academic engagement, drawing on Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) and Conservation of Resources (COR) Theories. It further examined academic self-efficacy's mediating role and the moderating role of proactive personality. The study used Perceived Teacher Support Behavioral Questionnaire, Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, Proactive Personality Scale, and Academic Engagement Scale to survey 1664 students at a public high school in a county-level city in southeastern Henan Province, China. Findings showed that (1) perceived teacher support positively influenced students' academic engagement; (2) academic self-efficacy partially mediated this connection; (3) proactive personality moderated the indirect effect, specifically the path from academic self-efficacy to academic engagement. In conclusion, academic self-efficacy acts as a key factor through which perceived teacher support promotes students' academic engagement. Proactive personality further strengthens the effect of academic self-efficacy on engagement.