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 years) 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.