The Relationship Between Academic Self-Efficacy and Burnout Among Chinese Postgraduate Students

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between academic self-efficacy and burnout among Chinese postgraduate students, emphasizing the mediating roles of learning engagement, emotional regulation, and the moderating influence of perfectionism within the unique cultural and institutional context of China’s higher education system. Drawing upon Social Cognitive Theory and empirical evidence from recent Chinese studies, the research conceptualizes self-efficacy as both a motivational and emotional resource that protects students from academic exhaustion. The analysis situates psychological constructs within China’s supervisory culture and performance-driven institutional norms, revealing how hierarchical mentorship and achievement-oriented expectations shape postgraduate experiences of stress, persistence, and self-belief. The study proposes a multidimensional model illustrating that high self-efficacy fosters learning engagement and adaptive emotion regulation, which, in turn, reduce burnout. Conversely, maladaptive perfectionism and rigid institutional pressures exacerbate emotional fatigue and disengagement. The cultural analysis highlights that Confucian values—emphasizing perseverance, humility, and respect for authority—simultaneously motivate academic effort and suppress help-seeking behaviors, creating a paradox between diligence and well-being. The paper concludes by discussing implications for educational policy and institutional reform. It calls for the development of mentorship-centered supervisory systems, the inclusion of psychological well-being indicators in postgraduate education policy, and the promotion of culturally attuned interventions that strengthen both individual and collective efficacy. By integrating psychological mechanisms with cultural understanding, this study contributes to a more nuanced and sustainable approach to academic mental health in China’s postgraduate education landscape.