Implicit Theories, Social Support, and Hope as Serial Mediators for Predicting Academic Self-Efficacy Among Higher Education Students

This study examined the predictive role of learning difficulties in the academic self-efficacy of students enrolled in higher education institutions and the serial multiple mediation of inner and external resources. The sample consisted of 2,113 students (age range = 18-35) at 25 higher education institutions in Israel. Participants were divided into four groups: (a) 668 typical students (without learning difficulties or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]), (b) 370 students with self-reported but undiagnosed academic difficulties, (c) 372 students diagnosed with specific learning disabilities (SLDs), and (d) 703 students diagnosed with attention deficit disorders (ADHD). Implicit theories on accommodations, perceptions of social support, hope, and academic self-efficacy were examined. Results demonstrated that students with SLD and ADHD had higher beliefs in the value of expectations, yet they experienced lower levels of academic self-efficacy than their typical peers. These implicit theories did not predict directly the academic self-efficacy, but external resources (perceptions of support) and internal resources (hope) mediated these relationships. The results focused on the accommodations and beliefs in their value for predicting academic self-efficacy, and the importance of social support and hope.