The Relationship Between Academic Self-Efficacy, Intrinsic Motivation, Coping, Academic Adjustment and Academic Achievement in African International Students

An increasing number of students travel abroad for higher education and this has led to a growing interest in exploring the factors that influence international students’ academic performance in the host country. This study sought to explore the relationship between academic self-efficacy, coping, academic adjustment and the academic achievement of African international students in North Cyprus. A further aim was to examine the mediation effect of academic self-efficacy between intrinsic motivation and academic performance. A total of 138 students (68 males, 70 females), aged between 18-35 years old (M= 23.08) from African countries such as Nigeria, Cameroon, and Zimbabwe studying at Eastern Mediterranean University completed the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, the Proactive Coping Inventory Scale, and the College Adaptation Questionnaire. Results showed that academic self-efficacy was the only significant predictor of academic performance and that academic self-efficacy mediated the relationship between intrinsic motivation and academic performance. These findings suggest that intrinsic motivation can lead to higher academic achievement via positive beliefs about one’s ability to succeed in academic tasks. Keywords: Academic self-efficacy, Intrinsic Motivation, Academic achievement, AfricaninternationalstudentsNorthCyprus.