Academic hope as a psychological mechanism linking academic self-efficacy to academic achievement

Purpose The aim of this study is to investigate the structural relationships between academic self-efficacy and academic achievement, focusing on the mediating role of academic hope among university students. Given the importance of motivational-cognitive resources in academic achievement, this study attempts to explain the psychological mechanism linking belief in competence and academic performance. Design/methodology/approach This study is descriptive-correlational and based on structural equation modeling. The sample of the study included 207 female students of Alzahra University (Tehran, Iran). Data were collected using validated scales of academic self-efficacy, academic hope, and academic achievement. Data analysis was performed using SPSS and AMOS software, and the mediating role of academic hope was tested using the 5000-sample bootstrapping method and a 95% confidence interval. Findings The results showed that academic self-efficacy (β = 0.23, p < 0.01) and academic hope (β = 0.64, p < 0.01) significantly predict academic achievement. Academic self-efficacy also had a positive and significant relationship with academic hope (β = 0.54, p < 0.01). Mediation analysis showed that the indirect effect of academic self-efficacy on academic achievement through academic hope is significant and academic hope plays a partial mediating role in this relationship. Social implications The findings of this study could help educational policymakers, academic advisors and university administrators to design academic support programs that simultaneously enhance students' self-efficacy and academic hope. Such an approach could lead to improved academic adjustment, reduced performance decline, and enhanced students' learning experience in higher education settings, without claiming direct causal intervention. Originality/value By simultaneously examining the structural relationships between academic self-efficacy, academic hope and academic achievement, this study provides new empirical evidence on the role of academic hope as a mediating construct in higher education. Focusing on structural equation modeling in a university sample, it contributes to a more detailed understanding of the motivational-cognitive mechanisms associated with academic performance.