This study examined the mediating effects of self-efficacy and learning motivation on the relationship between basic academic skills and class participation skills among university students and empirically analyzed how these mediating effects vary across academic years. Data collection was conducted from September 1 to September 25, 2023, targeting 406(100 first grade, 80 second grade, 117 students in 3rd grade, and 109 in 4th grade) undergraduate students from first to fourth year at a four-year university located in Seoul, South Korea. Data analyses were performed using SPSS 26.0 and R 4.4.3 software. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and multi-group analysis were employed to systematically verify differences in mediating effects by academic year. The results of this study were as follows. First, basic academic skills influenced class participation skills through three distinct paths: via self-efficacy, via learning motivation, and through a dual mediation pathway from self-efficacy to learning motivation. Second, developmental patterns across academic years were observed in each mediation path. For first-year students, only the learning motivation pathway was significant. For second-year students, the dual mediation pathway additionally became significant. Among third-year students, all three pathways were simultaneously significant, whereas among fourth-year students, only the self-efficacy pathway remained significant. Third, as academic year increased, the direct effect of basic academic skills tended to decrease, while the indirect effects tended to increase. This suggests that as learners develop, their basic academic skills are increasingly expressed through psychological mediating processes, resulting in more refined and sustained participatory behaviors. These findings suggest that educational approaches to enhancing university students’ class participation skills should be differentiated by academic year. Specifically, approaches for lower-year students should emphasize strengthening basic academic skills and promoting learning motivation, whereas approaches for upper-year students should focus on enhancing self-efficacy and developing metacognitive abilities. Consequently, this study highlights that students’ learning development is not merely a process of knowledge accumulation, but rather a complex process involving qualitative changes in internal psychological processes related to learning. The findings of this study can thus serve as a valuable resource for developing tailored educational support strategies according to students’ academic year.
Sejin Park (Thu,) studied this question.