Academic burnout and student engagement: a moderated mediation model of internal locus of control and loneliness

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to assess the relationship between academic burnout-student engagement relationships on management students of the Delhi-NCR region of Northern India. It further attempts to study the moderating impact of internal locus of control and mediating impact of loneliness on the academic burnout-student engagement relationship. Design/methodology/approach The data was collected using standardized instruments from 264 respondents. Descriptive statistics, correlation and moderated-mediated regression analysis were used to test the hypotheses. Findings The study found a negative association between student engagement and academic burnout and loneliness. A positive association between academic burnout and loneliness and a moderating impact of internal locus of control on academic burnout and student engagement relationship. Loneliness acted as a partial mediator for the moderated relationship between the academic burnout-student engagement relationship. Research limitations/implications Sample size and sampling units are the limitations of the study. Practical implications The conclusion of the presented study offers different inferences including validating the self-determination theory (Ryan and Deci, 2000) and possible courses of actions to be taken by academic institutions and students themselves. It ranges from careful investigation of student’s behaviors, design and implements collaborative projects along with student’s involvement in social networking based groups for collaborations and help. Social implications With the help of the study, the society including parents, family, friends, officials and academicians at educational institutions can offer useful insights to students through recreational and social activities for behavior modifications. Originality/value The major contribution of the study is to understand the psyche of the budding professionals perceiving increased stress and pressure. Limited studies are found in the Indian context and no studies in the past have used the study variables together. Internal locus of control as a personality variable has not been studied with respect to student’s burnout and engagement. Furthermore, none of the studies done in the past have deliberated upon loneliness with respect to the student community.

An analysis of business students’ stressors and their coping strategies in the post-pandemic era

“…The most prevalent mental health-related problems during the age of adolescence are anxiety disorders, including depression (Forman-Hoffman et al 2016 ). These can have adverse effects on personal relationships (Omar et al 2020 ), cause academic burnout (Singh et al 2020 ), lead to a lack of sleep (Campbell et al 2018 ), hinder academic performance (Langtree et al 2018 ), cause avoidant behavior (Mitchell, 2020 ), and cause difficulty in in adjusting to the university (Akram et al 2020 ). Furthermore, teachers also find it challenging to teach students with social or emotional behavioral challenges, which affects the relationship between teachers and students in the classroom (Hoogendijk et al 2020 ).…”

“…Students from diverse educational fields endeavor different experiences. Still, it has been noticed that students from social sciences, especially from the business departments, experience more stress due to several reasons (Singh et al 2020 ). Business management education aims to train students to become competent, knowledgeable, and produce professional competencies to work efficiently to accomplish organizational goals.…”

The Relationship Between Stress and Well-being: The Mediating Roles of Students’ Psychological Flexibility and Loneliness During the Coronavirus Pandemic

“…Tanhan's research (2020) adds to the evidence that college students are lonely during the pandemic due to loss of friends and social activities. Lonely students experience poor relationships with others, feel helpless, quickly give up in the face of challenges, and ultimately suffer effects to their academic competence and autonomy (Singh et al, 2020). Additionally, lonely individuals have low ability to tolerate stress, so their level of well-being is also low (Liu et al, 2020).…”

Loneliness, student engagement, and academic achievement during emergency remote teaching during COVID-19: the role of the God locus of control

“…Interactions created through online channels cannot form effective relational relationships because of the lack of interpersonal connections (Driver, 2018). Loneliness is an effective predictor of mental health and well-being (Diehl et al, 2021;Dinu et al, 2022;Kaufmann and Vallade, 2020;McIntyre-Mills et al, 2018;Wright, 2014), student engagement (Stoliker and Lafreniere, 2015), academic performance (Fan et al, 2021;Singh et al, 2021;Yalçın et al, 2020), lack of sense of community (Reedy, 2019), and dropout intentions (Alkan, 2014). Thus, it is necessary to explore the possible effect of loneliness on student learning experiences (Kaufmann and Vallade, 2020), such as student engagement and academic achievement.…”