Participation quality and intrinsic learning motivation in research-based learning: Self-efficacy as a mediator of...

Research-based learning (RBL) is widely considered important for fostering higher-order learning and innovation in higher education, yet the mechanisms linking students' participation in RBL to innovative capability remain insufficiently understood. Drawing on Social Cognitive Theory and Self-Determination Theory, this study examined whether self-efficacy (SE) mediates the associations of participation quality (PQ) and intrinsic learning motivation (ILM) with perceived innovative capability (INCA). Data were collected through an online survey conducted from March to April 2025 at a comprehensive science-and-engineering university in central China. Although 843 valid questionnaires were obtained, structural analyses were limited to the 340 undergraduates who reported prior participation in RBL, because PQ was measured only in this subgroup. Confirmatory factor analysis and covariance-based structural equation modeling were performed. Indirect effects were tested using bias-corrected bootstrap resampling (5000 draws), and alternative structural specifications were compared using Wald tests. The results showed that both PQ and ILM significantly predicted SE, and SE was positively associated with INCA. PQ had both a direct effect on INCA and an indirect effect through SE, whereas the effect of ILM on INCA was transmitted primarily through SE. Competing-model comparisons supported a more parsimonious specification in which the direct path from ILM to INCA was removed, while the paths from PQ to INCA and from SE to INCA were retained. These findings highlight the central role of self-efficacy in translating high-quality participation and motivational resources in RBL into innovation-related development.