Social Support and Chemistry Learning Engagement: Chain Mediation and Latent Profile Analysis of Chemistry Self-Efficacy and Chemistry Anxiety

Abstract Chemistry learning engagement plays an important role in students’ academic development and sustained motivation to learn chemistry. Although previous studies have examined the relationships of perceived social support, self-efficacy, and anxiety with students’ learning outcomes, few have integrated variable-centered and person-centered approaches to investigate the direct and indirect relationships of perceived teacher support, perceived parent support, and perceived peer support with chemistry learning engagement through chemistry self-efficacy and chemistry anxiety. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the direct and indirect relationships among perceived social support, chemistry self-efficacy, chemistry anxiety, and chemistry learning engagement and to further identify students’ self-efficacy–anxiety profiles and their associations with perceived social support and engagement. Data were collected from 1647 Chinese senior high school students. Structural equation modeling was used to examine direct and indirect pathways, whereas latent profile analysis, R3STEP, and BCH procedures were used to identify self-efficacy–anxiety profiles, examine the associations between perceived social support and profile membership, and compare chemistry learning engagement across profiles. The results indicated that (1) perceived teacher support, perceived parent support, and perceived peer support were all positively associated with chemistry learning engagement; (2) chemistry self-efficacy and chemistry anxiety mediated the relationships between perceived social support and chemistry learning engagement; (3) chemistry self-efficacy and chemistry anxiety functioned as sequential mediators in the relationship between perceived social support and chemistry learning engagement; (4) five self-efficacy–anxiety profiles were identified, including two profiles with comparable levels of self-efficacy but contrasting levels of anxiety─the moderate self-efficacy–low anxiety and moderate self-efficacy–high anxiety profiles; and (5) perceived teacher support and perceived peer support, but not perceived parent support, were significantly associated with relative membership in these two profiles. Students in the moderate self-efficacy–low anxiety profile reported significantly higher chemistry learning engagement than those in the moderate self-efficacy–high anxiety profile. Finally, the educational implications and limitations of the study are discussed, and directions for future research are proposed.