The Impact of Teacher Feedback, Perceived Teacher Support, and Peer Relationships on Online Learning Engagement: An Analysis of the Mediating Effects of Self-Efficacy and Learning Motivation

With the rise of online education, students’ online learning engagement (OLE) has become a key factor influencing academic performance. Understanding the factors affecting OLE can improve learning environments and student experiences. This study examines the impact of external factors—teacher feedback (TF), perceived teacher support (PTS), and peer relationships (PR)—alongside internal factors—self-efficacy (SE) and learning motivation (LM)—on university students’ OLE. It also explores the mediating roles of SE and LM. The study employed a standardized self-report survey with a sample of 910 Chinese university students. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were used to examine sample characteristics and preliminary associations among variables. Mediation analysis was conducted using Model 4 of the PROCESS macro, with 5,000 bootstrap samples applied to test the significance and robustness of indirect effects. (1) Teacher positive feedback (TPF), PTS, and PR significantly enhanced OLE; (2) Teacher negative feedback (TNF) had no significant effect on OLE; (3) SE and LM mediated the relationships between TF, PTS, PR, and OLE. The study highlights the importance of TF, PTS, and PR in shaping students’ OLE, with SE and LM playing key mediating roles. Findings offer theoretical and practical insights for improving OLE, providing valuable references for educational policymakers and higher education professionals.