Mediating role of goal achievement on the students’ perceived teacher TPACK and student engagement among Chinese college students in physical education

Abstract

Student engagement is a key indicator of physical education (PE) quality, but its link with teachers’ digital competence in Chinese higher education remains under-researched. This study investigates the relationships among teacher Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), student goal achievement, and student engagement, drawing on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and Self-Regulated Learning theory (SRL) as the theoretical framework. A cross-sectional design was employed, involving 436 undergraduate students from four universities in Guangdong Province, China. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with Smart PLS-4. The results indicate that students’ perceived teacher TPACK is positively associated with both student engagement and goal achievement. In addition, goal achievement partially mediates the relationship between students’ perceived teacher TPACK and student engagement. These findings suggest that teachers’ digital competence is associated with student engagement both directly and indirectly through students’ goal achievement. The study offers preliminary cross-sectional evidence that perceived goal achievement may help explain the association between students’ perceived teacher TPACK and engagement.