Perceived Teacher Autonomy Support and School Engagement of Tibetan Students in Elementary and Middle Schools: Mediating Effect of Self-Efficacy and Academic Emotions

School engagement (SE) refers to the intensity and quality of emotions experienced by students when commencing and carrying out learning activities, and includes behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. A high SE level promotes academic achievement, reduces students’ behavioral problems, and prevents school dropout. This study, whose participants were 819 students from Tibetan areas, explored the impact of teacher autonomy support (TAS) on students’ SE and the mechanisms involved in this relationship. The results showed that TAS had a positive impact on SE, while students’ self-efficacy had a mediating effect between TAS and SE. On the one hand, TAS affected self-efficacy through academic interest and ultimately influenced SE; moreover, TAS negatively affected academic anxiety, indirectly inhibiting the negative effect of academic anxiety on SE through self-efficacy. The theoretical and practical implications of the study findings are discussed.