DOI: 10.20935/mhealthwellb8366 ISSN: 2997-9196

Parental involvement, teacher support, and self-efficacy in digital learning engagement

Ariela Giladi, Lilach Ben-Meir, Riki Tesler, Shay Ukrop, Yossi Harel-Fisch
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Introduction: The rapid expansion of digital learning, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has highlighted the importance of social support systems in shaping students’ engagement. This study examines how parental involvement, parental support, and teacher support are associated with students’ engagement in digital learning, with a particular focus on the mediating role of self-efficacy.

Materials and methods: A national cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1019 students aged 10–18 (69% girls). Participants completed an online questionnaire assessing social support, self-efficacy, and engagement in digital learning. Hierarchical regression analyses and path analysis were used to examine direct and indirect associations among the variables.

Results: All three support sources were positively associated with students’ engagement in digital learning. The path analysis further indicated that self-efficacy mediated the relationships between parental involvement, parental support, and teacher support and engagement in digital learning. The direct effects of parental support and teacher support remained statistically significant after accounting for the mediator, whereas the direct effect of parental involvement was reduced to marginal significance, indicating partial mediation.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that social support contributes to students’ engagement in digital learning largely through enhancing self-efficacy. These results underscore the importance of strengthening both school- and home-based support systems, alongside interventions aimed at fostering students’ confidence in their learning abilities.

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