Journal of Applied Psychological Research

Journal of Applied Psychological Research

Developing a Causal Model of Students’ Academic Avoidance Based on Social Hope and Meaning of Education: The Mediating Role of Academic Engagement

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Saeb Sabzipour 1
Mansoureh Hajhosseini 2
Zahra Naghsh 1
Masoud Gholamali Lavasani 1
1 Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
10.22059/japr.2026.402314.645349
Abstract
This study examined the mediating function of academic engagement in the relationship between meaning in education and social hope with academic avoidance among students. The current investigation was applied in purpose and descriptive-correlational in nature. The study population consisted of all 12th-grade students in public secondary schools in Isfahan during the 2024–2025 academic year. Through random sampling, 500 students were selected. The Academic Engagement Scale (AES), the Meaning of Education Scale (MOE), the Social Hope Scale (SOS), and the Academic Avoidance Scale (AAS) were the research instruments. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was implemented with SPSS-22 and AMOS-24 software to analyze the data. The results indicated that the direct paths from social hope (β = 0.42, p <0.001) and meaning in education (β = 0.61, p <0.001) to academic engagement, and from engagement to academic avoidance (β = 0.44, p <0.001), were significant. Nevertheless, the direct pathways from social hope and meaning in education to academic avoidance were not significant, whereas the indirect effects through academic engagement were. The model exhibited a good fit. In general, the reduction of academic avoidance can be achieved by fostering social hope and strengthening meaning in education, which in turn enhances students’ academic engagement.
Keywords
Academic Avoidance
Academic Engagement
Meaning of Education
Social Hope
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Journal of Applied Psychological Research

Articles in Press, Corrected Proof
Available Online from 02 October 2026

  • Receive Date 21 October 2025
  • Revise Date 25 December 2025
  • Accept Date 02 February 2026
  • First Publish Date 26 July 2026
  • Publish Date 02 October 2026