The mechanisms underlying the influence of perceived pressure on doctoral students' learning engagement: a serial mediation of social support and academic self-efficacy.

Purpose: This study aims to examine how perceived pressure influences doctoral students' learning engagement, specifically analyzing the serial mediating roles of social support and academic self-efficacy. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted with a sample of 432 Chinese doctoral students, utilizing the Perceived Pressure Scale, the Social Support Scale, the General Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Classroom Engagement Scale. Results: Perceived pressure was positively associated with doctoral students' learning engagement via social support ( Discussion: Perceived pressure among doctoral students shows a positive direct association and multiple indirect associations with learning engagement. From a Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) perspective, these findings suggest that perceived pressure may function as a challenge demand when adequate resources are available, and that social support and academic self-efficacy jointly facilitate engagement through a sequential resource pathway. While focusing on doctoral students' learning engagement, higher education institutions should emphasize the development of robust social support systems and the enhancement of academic self-efficacy to assist doctoral students in transforming stress into a sustained driving force for academic development.