The Role of Academic Self-Regulation in Predicting Academic Burnout among Secondary School Students: The Mediating Role of Test Anxiety

Abstract

Academic burnout represents a major concern in contemporary educational systems, with adverse consequences for students’ academic performance, motivation, and mental health. The present study aimed to examine the role of academic self-regulation in predicting academic burnout, considering test anxiety as a mediating variable. A correlational research design was employed, and participants were selected from secondary school students using multi-stage cluster sampling. Data were collected through standardized measures of academic self-regulation, test anxiety, and academic burnout, and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicated that academic self-regulation had a significant negative effect on academic burnout. Students with higher levels of self-regulatory skills reported lower levels of test anxiety and burnout. Moreover, test anxiety played a significant mediating role in the relationship between academic self-regulation and academic burnout. These findings underscore the critical role of self-regulatory competencies and anxiety management in reducing academic burnout and improving students’ psychological adjustment. Educational interventions targeting self-regulation skills may therefore serve as effective preventive strategies in school settings.