Teacher and parental support as predictors of higher vocational college students’ academic performance: the mediating role of learning engagement

Abstract

Drawing on social support theory, self-determination theory, and engagement theory, this study examines how teacher and parental support relate to academic performance in Chinese higher vocational colleges through learning engagement. This is one of the few studies in this context that integrates teacher support, parental support, and learning engagement in a single mediation model, clarifying how school- and home-based support systems work together to shape students’ academic performance. Together, these theories suggest that external support enhances performance primarily through engagement, which leads to the proposed mediation hypotheses. Survey data were collected from 360 students across three higher vocational colleges in Shandong Province, China. Using mediation analysis, results show that both teacher support and parental support significantly predict academic performance. Learning engagement partially mediates the relationships between teacher support and academic performance, and between parental support and academic performance, indicating that external support improves outcomes partly by strengthening students’ behavioural, emotional, and cognitive engagement in learning. Overall, the findings highlight learning engagement as a practical lever for enhancing performance in higher vocational education. Findings suggest strengthening home–school collaboration and implementing engagement-focused teaching strategies (e.g., supportive classroom interactions and autonomy-supportive practices) to increase learning engagement and improve academic performance.