Unpacking motivational diversity: a person-centered approach to academic buoyancy and engagement

Research has documented heterogeneous academic buoyancy profiles among students, yet no studies have examined whether these configurations moderate fundamental motivational relationships. This study examined how academic buoyancy profiles moderate the relationship between academic self-efficacy and classroom engagement among Turkish university students learning English as a foreign language. Data were collected from 541 students across ninec faculties through convenience sampling, and the sample size was determined according to established guidelines for latent profile analysis. Validated measures assessed buoyancy, self-efficacy, and engagement. Latent Profile Analysis identified three distinct buoyancy profiles: the Confident Overwhelmed, the Chronically Pressured, and the Validation Seekers. Mixture moderation analysis revealed that these profiles significantly altered the strength of the self-efficacy–engagement link, with standardized coefficients ranging from β = 0.553 to β = 0.928. Results demonstrate that academic buoyancy operates through profile-specific mechanisms rather than uniform processes. These findings challenge assumptions of homogeneous motivational pathways and suggest that differentiated interventions tailored to resilience configurations may more effectively promote student engagement across diverse educational contexts.