Beyond linear effects: Synergistic Effects of Teacher Caring and Academic Self-Efficacy on Academic Achievement—A Nonlinear fsQCA Study of Chinese Undergraduates

Abstract Existing literature focuses on the influence of single or multiple factors on college students' academic achievement, and few studies analyze the synergistic effect of multiple factors on college students' academic achievement. Taking 276 college students as samples, this study used the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis method to explore the linkage effect of 5 antecedents on college students' academic achievement from the two aspects of teachers' caring behavior and academic efficacy. The results show that conscientiousness, supportiveness, inclusiveness, academic ability efficacy and academic behavior efficacy are not necessary conditions for the high or nonhigh academic achievement, and single anthems have weak explanatory power for the academic achievement. There are three ways to drive college students' academic achievement, namely, the supportiveness-ability efficacy driving model, the conscientiousness-supportiveness-behavior efficacy driving model, and the conscientiousness-efficacy driving model. There are two paths leading to nonhigh academic achievement, and they are asymmetrical with the path of academic achievement improvement. By using the fsQCA method, this study contributes to the related literature with an investigation of the complex causal relationship between teachers' caring behavior, academic efficacy, and academic achievements, providing a theoretical foundation and practical recommendations for enhancing the academic performance of university students.