Mechanisms influencing group teaching learning achievement in university students: the mediating role of social loafing.

In modern higher education, group teaching is widely used to enhance students' academic achievements and comprehensive abilities. However, social loafing in group activities remains a pressing issue. Grounded in Achievement Goal Theory, this study aims to explore how internal mastery-oriented factors and contextual goal structures jointly influence social loafing and subsequent learning achievement. Specifically, it examines the impact of self-efficacy, learning motivation, self-expectation, peer support, and rating fairness on social loafing and their subsequent effect on learning achievement. Through a survey and data analysis of 600 university students, the results indicate that self-efficacy and learning motivation significantly positively influence self-expectation; peer support and rating fairness significantly reduce social loafing, whereas self-expectation does not show a direct inhibitory effect; and social loafing negatively affects learning achievement. Additionally, rating fairness and peer support significantly enhance learning achievement by reducing social loafing. This study not only validates and extends Achievement Goal Theory in collaborative learning contexts but also indicates that in group teaching, internal motivation must be transformed through self-expectation and contextual goal structures to effectively inhibit social loafing, integrating individual and instructional factors while highlighting the critical roles of rating fairness and peer support.