Mental health mediates the relationship between supportive teaching and online learning engagement among university students during the Covid-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, significant focus has been directed towards the effectiveness of online learning. However, there exists a paucity of research examining the relationship between online teaching behaviors during this period and the corresponding online learning behaviors. The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of supportive teaching (ST) on online learning engagement (OLE) and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms involved. In 2022, during the pandemic in China, convenience sampling was used to select 1,998 university students. Data were collected through an online survey, with ST, OLE, and mental health (MH) assessed using a 5-point Likert scale. Descriptive and regression analyses were performed to examine the role of MH in mediating the association between ST and OLE. We found high levels of ST (M = 3.78), moderate levels of MH (M = 3.28) and OLE (M = 3.10) in Chinese university students during the epidemic. There was a positive association between ST and both OLE ( β =  0.366) and MH ( β =  0.354). MH exhibited a positive correlation with OLE ( β =  0.151), and it mediated the relationship between ST and OLE. Additionally, OLE was associated with a variety of factors including major choice, mother education level, family economic status, and family location. The findings of this study demonstrate that ST can positively impact the OLE of university students with the mediation of MT. Therefore, university educators should demonstrate increased supportive teaching behavior in online instruction to positively impact student learning engagement during the pandemic lockdown.