Correlational links between professional identity and learning engagement among Chinese college students: the potential mediating role of positive emotions

Against the backdrop of mass higher education in China, the quality of talent cultivation in local universities has become a major concern. The study was based on self-determination theory and social cognition theory, aimed to examine the relationship between professional identity and learning engagement among college students, as well as the mediating role of positive emotions in this relationship. The research sampled undergraduate students from four public universities in a central southern region of China. A total of 482 valid questionnaires were collected via an online survey. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression combined with bias-corrected bootstrapping were employed for data analysis. The results indicated that participants reported moderate-to-high levels of professional identity, learning engagement, and positive emotions. Significant gender, grade, major, hometown, and family socioeconomic status differences were observed across the three constructs (all p < 0.001). Professional identity significantly and positively predicted both learning engagement and positive emotions. Positive emotions, in turn, positively predicted learning engagement and partially mediated the relationship between professional identity and learning engagement. The findings clarify the intrinsic mechanisms linking professional identity, positive emotions, and learning engagement, enrich empirical research on local university students, and provide practical implications for optimizing talent cultivation in regional higher education contexts.