Academic Engagement in University Students: Self-efficacy, Anxiety, Optimism and the Moderating Role of Gender

Introduction.  Academic engagement, understood as a state of positive and persistent involvement or commitment to academic activities, is a key indicator of performance and motivation. This study analyzed its relationship with self-efficacy, anxiety, and optimism. It also examined whether gender acted as a mediating variable in these relationships. Method.  A total of 444 students, mostly women (79.5%), studying for either a bachelor's degree in psychology (73.6%) or a master's degree in general health psychology (26.4%), participated in the study. Possible differences in academic engagement according to gender were analyzed using Student's t-tests for independent samples, while Pearson's bivariate correlations were used to assess the relationships between academic engagement and the other quantitative variables in the study. These correlations were further examined for gender differences using Fisher's transformation. Hierarchical multiple linear regression was also conducted. Results.  Females showed higher academic engagement than males, and academic engagement showed significant positive and moderate correlations with optimism and self-efficacy, as well as a moderate negative correlation with trait anxiety. The regression model revealed, among other findings, a moderating effect of gender on the relationship between engagement and self-efficacy, with relevant implications for educational and professional contexts. Discussion and Conclusion. The role of optimism and self-efficacy as predictors of engagement highlights the importance of designing intervention programs aimed at strengthening these characteristics