The Impact of Teacher Support and Peer Support on Chinese Vocational College Students’ Self-Regulated Learning Ability: The Mediating Role of Learning Motivation

Abstract

Against the background of China’s high-quality vocational education reform, self-regulated learning (SRL) has become a core competency for technical skilled talents. Existing research mostly discusses teacher support or peer support separately, with few integrated empirical studies comparing their differentiated action mechanisms and the distinct mediating intensity of learning within Chinese vocational training scenarios. This study adopted explanatory sequential mixed methods research design. A stratified random sample of 500 full-time vocational students from two public vocational colleges in Qujing city , Yunnan Province, completed four multi-dimensional validated questionnaires covering teacher support, peer support, learning motivation and SRL ability. After quantitative structural equation modeling (SEM) with 5000 Bootstrap resampling, 16 representative participants were selected for semi-structured interviews to interpret statistical disparities from real training experience. Quantitative outcomes demonstrated that both teacher support (β=0.428, p<0.001) and peer support (β=0.247, p<0.001) exerted significant positive direct effects on students’ SRL ability. Learning motivation played a partial mediating role in both pathways, yet the mediating proportion showed a striking gap: peer support’s indirect effect accounted for 41.6% of its total influence, while teacher support only reached 8.7%. Follow-up thematic interview analysis explained this discrepancy: vocational teachers focus on one-to-one technical skill scaffolding, which directly optimizes students’ learning operation strategies; peer groups rely on companionship and collective learning atmosphere to stimulate internal learning willingness, thus influencing SRL mainly through motivational pathways. Demographic tests found student cadres reported significantly higher levels of peer support, learning motivation and SRL, while gender, grade and major produced no meaningful group differences. This paper expands the localized application of Self-Determination Theory and Social Cognitive Theory in Chinese skill-based vocational education, and provides targeted instructional strategies for dual-qualified teachers and college administrators.