Academic Motivation and Social Support: Mediating and Moderating the Life Satisfaction and Learning Burnout Link

Background: The phenomenon of university students' learning burnout has attracted the research of many scholars because of its typicality. This study aims to explore the relationship between life satisfaction, academic motivation, social support and learning burnout among university students and its underlying mechanisms. Methods: A total of 1917 university students participated in this cross-sectional study. Research instruments included the Adolescent Student Life Satisfaction Scale, University Students' Academic Motivation Questionnaire, Adolescent Learning Burnout Scale and Adolescent Social Support Scale. The data analysis comprised descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and assessment of multi-collinearity through Variance Inflation Factor (VIF). Advanced analyses were conducted using Model 4 for mediation and Model 1 for moderation from the PROCESS macro. Results: (1) life satisfaction significantly and positively predicts academic motivation; (2) academic motivation significantly and negatively predicts learning burnout; and (3) life satisfaction significantly and negatively predicts learning burnout; (4) academic motivation partially mediates the effect of life satisfaction on learning burnout; and (5) social support plays a moderating role in the effect of academic motivation on learning burnout. Discussions: These results illuminate the complex web of relationships among life satisfaction, academic motivation, social support, and learning burnout. The partial mediating role of academic motivation underscores its significance in the link between life satisfaction and learning burnout. Additionally, the moderating impact of social support emphasizes its role in ameliorating or exacerbating the effects of academic motivation on learning burnout. Conclusion: These findings can help researchers and educators better understand the underlying mechanisms between life satisfaction and learning burnout. Meanwhile, the results of the study can provide practical and effective operational suggestions for preventing and intervening in university students' learning burnout and improving their academic motivation.