The effects of perceived teacher support on college students’ online learning engagement: the chain mediating role of digital literacy and academic emotions

With the rapid advancement of digital technology and the widespread popularization of online learning, unraveling the mechanisms driving student engagement in virtual environments is critical. This study examined the associations between perceived teacher support and college students’ online learning engagement, with digital literacy and academic emotions included in a theoretically specified mediation framework. A total of 467 Chinese college students (163 male, 304 female) were recruited using convenience sampling to complete an online survey conducted in Shanghai, China. Structural equation modeling analysis indicated that perceived teacher support was positively associated with online learning engagement and indirectly through three pathways: (1) digital literacy as a mediator linking perceived teacher support and online learning engagement, (2) positive academic emotions as a mediator linking perceived teacher support and online learning engagement, and (3) a chain mediation pathway in which digital literacy and positive academic emotions sequentially mediate the relationship between perceived teacher support and online learning engagement. These findings highlight the dual role of teacher support in fostering technical competence (via digital literacy) and emotional well-being (via positive academic emotions), offering actionable insights for designing adaptive online pedagogy that integrates skill development and affective scaffolding.