School well-being and student engagement among university students: The mediating role of growth mindset

Fatin Rohmah Nur Wahidah (Faculty of Psychology, Universitas of Muhammadiyah Purwokerto, Indonesia)
Rifqi Hanif Sulthani (Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto)
Kuni Saffana (Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria)

Jurnal Ilmiah Psikologi Terapan
Vol. 14 No. 2 (2026): August

Student engagement is a key determinant of academic achievement in higher education. This study examined whether growth mindset mediates the relationship between school well-being and student engagement among university students. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with university students in Purwokerto, Indonesia, using standardized measures of school well-being, growth mindset, and student engagement. Mediation analysis was performed using Jamovi with bootstrapped confidence intervals. The findings showed that school well-being was positively associated with growth mindset, which in turn was positively associated with student engagement. Growth mindset significantly mediated the relationship between school well-being and student engagement, while the direct relationship between school well-being and student engagement was not significant. These findings suggest that growth mindset serves as an important psychological mechanism linking school well-being with student engagement. Supportive learning environments that foster both well-being and adaptive cognitive beliefs may therefore promote greater student engagement in higher education.