This study aims to investigate the impact of meaning in life on the academic self-efficacy of university students and the moderating role of resilience in this relationship. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 540 university students using the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale for University Students, and the Resilience Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS. The results showed that: (1) Meaning in life, resilience, and academic self-efficacy were all significantly positively correlated with each other (ps < 0.001); (2) Meaning in life significantly and positively predicted academic self-efficacy (β = 0.325, t = 8.639, p < 0.001); (3) Resilience played a significant moderating role in the relationship between meaning in life and academic self-efficacy (B = -0.0023, p < 0.05). Specifically, for students with low resilience, the positive impact of meaning in life on academic self-efficacy was more pronounced, whereas this effect was weaker for students with high resilience. The findings suggest that enhancing students' meaning in life is an effective way to boost their academic confidence, and that meaning in life serves as a crucial compensatory protective factor, especially for students with lower levels of resilience.
Wang et al. (Fri,) studied this question.