From cognition to behavior: Proactive personality pathways and academic performance of college students

Yunsheng Ruan^*
School of Economics and Management, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, China
* Corresponding Author: Yunsheng Ruan. Email: email

Journal of Psychology in Africa https://doi.org/10.32604/jpa.2026.079487

Received 31 December 2025; Accepted 25 March 2026; Published online 30 April 2026

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Abstract

The study examined the role of proactive personality in influencing academic performance among Chinese university students, with a focus on the mediating roles of academic self-efficacy and learning engagement. A total of 378 Chinese undergraduate students (females = 49.7%, juniors = 26.5%) participated in the study. Data on proactive personality, academic self-efficacy, and learning engagement were collected using standardized scales, and academic performance was measured via self-reported Grade Point Averages. Structural equation modelling with bootstrap resampling results indicated that proactive personality had a significant direct effect on academic performance, accounting for 63.28% of the total effect. The indirect effects operated through three significant pathways: the independent mediating roles of academic self-efficacy (18.48%) and learning engagement (14.78%), as well as their sequential chain mediation effect (3.23%). Together, these findings provide strong empirical evidence for the proposed pathways linking proactive personality to academic performance. Furthermore, the findings underscore the importance of fostering students’ efficacy beliefs and learning engagement synergistically in order to enhance academic achievement in higher education.