Achievement Motivation and Academic Performance among Middle School and High School Student-Athletes: Mediating Role of Academic Self-Efficacy

Devlyn Andrea Fam (Bandung Independent School, Bandung, Indonesia)
Efnie Indrianie (Universitas Kristen Maranatha, Bandung, Indonesia)
Chandra Kuswoyo (Universitas Kristen Maranatha, Bandung, Indonesia)

ARMADA : Jurnal Penelitian Multidisiplin
Vol. 4 No. 9 (2026): ARMADA : Jurnal Penelitian Multidisplin, September 2026

Student-athletes are required to balance the demands in two separate yet equally important domains: sports and academics. This study investigates the mediating role of academic self-efficacy in the relationship between achievement motivation and academic performance among middle and high school student-athletes in Bandung, Indonesia. A cross-sectional correlational design was used to collect data from 60 valid student-athletes across various sports. The achievement motivation was measured through the employment of an adapted Hermans scale, academic self-efficacy with the adapted Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (TASES), academic performance through a self-reported semester report-card grades and mediation was tested using bias-corrected bootstrapping (5,000 resamples). Achievement motivation significantly predicted academic self-efficacy          (β = 0.58, p < .001), and academic self-efficacy significantly predicted academic performance (β = .47, p < 0.001). The indirect effect was significant (β = .27, 95% CI [.12, .50]) while the direct effect became non-significant, indicating full mediation. Academic self-efficacy fully mediated the motivation–performance relationship, suggesting that competitive athletic experience enhances academic outcomes primarily by strengthening students’ academic self-belief.