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

Sabzipour, Saeb; Hajhosseini, Mansoureh; Naghsh, Zahra; Gholamali Lavasani, Masoud

doi:10.22059/japr.2026.402314.645349

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 ²

Masoud Gholamali Lavasani ²

¹ 1. PhD Student, Department of Psychology, psychology and Educational Science Faculty, University of Tehran

² Department of Psychology, psychology and Educational Science Faculty, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22059/japr.2026.402314.645349

Abstract

This study examined the mediating role of academic engagement in the relationship between meaning in education and social hope with academic avoidance among students. The present study was applied in purpose and descriptive–correlational in nature. The study population included all 12th-grade students in public high schools of Isfahan during the 2024–2025 academic year, from whom 500 students were selected through random sampling. Research instruments were the Academic Engagement Scale (AES), the Meaning of Education Scale (MOE), the Social Hope Scale (SOS), and the Academic Avoidance Scale (AAS). Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) with SPSS-22 and AMOS-24 software.Results showed that the direct paths from social hope (β = 0.42, p < .001) and meaning in education (β = 0.61, p < .001) to academic engagement, and from engagement to academic avoidance (β = 0.44, p < .001), were significant. However, direct paths from social hope and meaning in education to academic avoidance were not significant, while indirect effects through academic engagement were. The model demonstrated a good fit. Overall, enhancing students’ academic engagement by fostering social hope and strengthening meaning in education can effectively reduce academic avoidance.

Keywords

Academic Avoidance

Academic Engagement

Meaning of Education

Social Hope