Understanding individual-level absorptive capacity: unpacking the roles of innovative attitude and motivation in perceived academic performance of Chinese international students in South Korea

As higher education internationalizes, the number of Chinese students in Korea continues to grow; however, limited research has examined how their absorptive capacity influences perceived academic performance. This study integrates insights from knowledge management and psychology literature to investigate how Chinese students' absorptive capacity affects perceived academic performance. Survey data from 202 Chinese students enrolled in Korean universities were analyzed using PLS-SEM, revealing that absorptive capacity positively influences perceived academic performance (<i>β</i> = 0.287, <i>p</i> < 0.001), with innovative attitude partially mediating this relationship (<i>β</i> = 0.204, <i>p</i> < 0.001). The moderated mediation analysis indicates that motivation (<i>β</i> = 0.081, <i>p</i> < 0.05) further amplifies the link between absorptive capacity and perceived academic performance through innovative attitude. These findings suggest that external capabilities alone are insufficient to foster innovation and academic performance; instead, students' internal learning capacity and motivation are crucial drivers of academic success.