{"paper_id":"098fc282-56a4-4e94-a50a-d5713c69e868","body_text":"Beyond linear effects: Synergistic Effects of Teacher Caring and Academic Self-Efficacy on Academic Achievement—A Nonlinear fsQCA Study of Chinese Undergraduates | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Beyond linear effects: Synergistic Effects of Teacher Caring and Academic Self-Efficacy on Academic Achievement—A Nonlinear fsQCA Study of Chinese Undergraduates Chaoyong Tang, Yongzhi Shi, Fan Jiang, Wanming Chen This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7015083/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Existing literature focuses on the influence of single or multiple factors on college students' academic achievement, and few studies analyze the synergistic effect of multiple factors on college students' academic achievement. Taking 276 college students as samples, this study used the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis method to explore the linkage effect of 5 antecedents on college students' academic achievement from the two aspects of teachers' caring behavior and academic efficacy. The results show that conscientiousness, supportiveness, inclusiveness, academic ability efficacy and academic behavior efficacy are not necessary conditions for the high or nonhigh academic achievement, and single anthems have weak explanatory power for the academic achievement. There are three ways to drive college students' academic achievement, namely, the supportiveness-ability efficacy driving model, the conscientiousness-supportiveness-behavior efficacy driving model, and the conscientiousness-efficacy driving model. There are two paths leading to nonhigh academic achievement, and they are asymmetrical with the path of academic achievement improvement. By using the fsQCA method, this study contributes to the related literature with an investigation of the complex causal relationship between teachers' caring behavior, academic efficacy, and academic achievements, providing a theoretical foundation and practical recommendations for enhancing the academic performance of university students. Teachers' caring behavior Academic self-efficacy Academic achievements Combination configuration Fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis Figures Figure 1 Introduction Academic achievement, as a core indicator of educational quality assessment, constitutes both a classical theme in educational psychology research and a crucial observational dimension for measuring students' holistic development in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education (An et al., 2022 ; Al-Rofo, 2010 ). Within ecological models of academic achievement, the social support provided by teachers as key agents has demonstrated significant explanatory power (Sit et al., 2013 ). Empirical studies have identified three principal predictors: teacher support (encompassing emotional and cognitive dimensions) (Ji & Zhao, 2021 ; Tao et al., 2022 ), positive teacher-student interactions (Kyere et al ., 2024), and professional collaboration among educators (Cook-Sather et al ., 2018). Notably, teachers’ caring behavior (TCB) has emerged as a novel paradigm in teacher support, gaining increasing research attention. Lei et al. ( 2015 ) pioneered the theoretical framework of TCB, developed psychometrically robust measurement instruments, and validated its significant positive impact on secondary students' academic performance. Subsequent cross-cultural studies by Yang et al. ( 2016 ), Kate (2020), and Ilhavenil and Aravindan (2023) have extended these findings to diverse educational contexts. Current research exhibits two critical limitations: excessive focus on K-12 education with inadequate consideration of college students' developmental particularities, and paucity of empirical investigations in higher education. From developmental psychology perspectives, college students demonstrate marked heterogeneity in psychological mechanisms and learning patterns. Compared with adolescents, they exhibit mature metacognitive regulation capabilities (Yang et al., 2021 ) and heightened autonomy in professional goal-setting, learning strategy selection, and career planning (Zheng et al., 2023 ). Crucially, their learning motivation has transitioned from externally regulated to intrinsic motivation-driven paradigms (Zhang et al ., 2021), potentially diminishing the efficacy of traditional teacher support mechanisms. This context raises pivotal research questions: Does TCB retain predictive validity for college students' academic achievement? What distinctive mechanisms might characterize its effects in higher education? Addressing these questions holds significant theoretical implications for refining quality assessment systems in tertiary education. Rooted in educational psychology theory, academic achievement fundamentally emerges from the interaction between instructional systems and student agency, operating through the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) theoretical paradigm. Teachers' caring behavior, as an external stimulus, necessitates mediation through students' intrinsic psychological mechanisms to actualize educational efficacy (Lei et al., 2015 ). Within this process, academic self-efficacy—a core psychological construct defined as learners' self-referential judgments and beliefs about their capabilities to complete academic tasks, encompassing academic ability self-efficacy and academic behavioral self-efficacy (Pintrich & De Groot, 1990)—serves as the critical mediator. Empirical evidence confirms that academic self-efficacy profoundly influences individuals' perceptions, cognition, and actions, thereby exerting substantial effects on academic outcomes (Multon et al., 1991 ; Aarti & Ravin, 2023). Specifically, both dimensions foster rational learning attitudes, persistence, motivation, and diligence (Bandura, 1982 ). Mechanistic analyses reveal distinct operational pathways for these dual dimensions. Academic ability self-efficacy, representing internalized self-perceptions resistant to external influences, strengthens academic self-concept and cognitive flexibility, facilitates higher-order thinking, and enhances problem-solving capacities in challenging tasks, thereby driving academic success (Wei et al ., 2014; Cai & Yang, 2019 ). Conversely, academic behavioral self-efficacy manifests externally by optimizing time management strategies and help-seeking behaviors, thereby improving learning process efficiency (Ang & Pan, 2018). Notably, academic ability self-efficacy demonstrates a stronger association with achievement than its behavioral counterpart (Lei et al., 2015 ). Recent studies by Kristensen et al . (2024) and Güngör (2020) corroborate these findings: students with heightened academic self-efficacy exhibit confidence, proactive learning behaviors, and strategic resource allocation, directly enhancing achievement. However, extant literature predominantly examines self-efficacy as a unitary construct, neglecting differential impact analyses of its dual dimensions. This oversight perpetuates \"one-size-fits-all\" educational interventions, underscoring the urgent need for a dual-dimensional framework to elucidate distinct pathways for academic enhancement. Existing studies have separately examined the independent effects of exogenous drivers of teachers’ caring behavior (Lei et al., 2015 ) and endogenous regulation of academic self-efficacy (Ji & Zhao, 2021 ; Tao et al., 2022 ) on academic achievement, providing critical theoretical foundations for educational intervention strategies. However, the intrinsic nature of educational practice dictates that academic achievement emerges from synergistic interactions of multiple factors. Unidimensional explanatory models often fall into the \"explanatory power paradox,\" overlooking the value-added effects of factor complementarity and failing to elucidate nonlinear interactive mechanisms (Lei et al., 2015 ; Yang et al., 2016 ). This study introduces Configuration Theory to construct an analytical framework, employing fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to transcend limitations of traditional linear methodologies (Du et al., 2021 ). It addresses three core questions: (1) Does a synergistic mechanism exist between teachers’ caring behavior and academic self-efficacy? How are its operational boundaries defined? (2) Do multiple equivalent configurations yield high academic achievement? (3) What typological variations characterize configurations leading to non-high achievement? By systematically deconstructing these mechanisms, this research aims to advance theoretical paradigms by replacing the prevailing \"isolated factor\" approach with a multi-factor synergy model. Practically, it seeks to inform precision education interventions through typological strategies tailored to distinct student profiles. Theoretical analysis and research framework Teachers' caring behavior and academic achievement Teachers' caring behavior encompasses educators' conscientious fulfillment of instructional responsibilities, dedicated investment in student development, and empathetic understanding of learners' needs, all aimed at fostering positive teacher-student relationships and achieving educational objectives (Lei et al., 2015 ). This multidimensional construct comprises three key elements: conscientiousness —rigorous adherence to curricular standards and high-quality task implementation; supportiveness —strategic allocation of time, knowledge, and resources to cultivate students' moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and vocational growth; and inclusivity —holistic acceptance of students' emotional, cognitive, and behavioral characteristics (Lei & Li, 2018 ). Academic achievement, defined as the comprehensive integration of learning behaviors, attitudes, and outcomes within specific educational contexts (Huang & Wang, 2023 ), serves as a critical metric for evaluating educational effectiveness. It extends beyond knowledge acquisition to encompass value cultivation, skill development, and innovative capacity enhancement. Notably, such achievement not only reflects students' academic competence but also significantly influences their career trajectories. As a core indicator of educational quality, it provides essential feedback for optimizing pedagogical practices and institutional training programs. Empirical studies demonstrate that teachers' professional conduct—manifested through instructional approaches, work ethic, pedagogical encouragement, and student respect—serves dual functions in educational contexts: fostering constructive teacher-student interactions and enhancing learning outcomes (Lei, 2014 ; Lauermann, 2014 ). These behavioral dimensions optimize educational influence by unlocking learning potential, stimulating proactive dispositions, and improving academic performance, establishing teacher care as a critical determinant of collegiate success. (1) Supportiveness and academic achievement. The Self-Determination Theory elucidates the mechanism underlying teacher supportiveness and academic outcomes. This framework posits that while individuals primarily base behavioral decisions on intrinsic psychological characteristics (e.g., interests, values), significant others' attitudes substantially shape motivational patterns (Lei, 2014 ). When significant others' characteristics conflict with students' behavioral patterns, such incongruence constrains motivational autonomy, thereby hindering developmental progress. Conversely, when students perceive recognition and support for their actions, three fundamental psychological needs—competence, relatedness, and autonomy—are fulfilled (Ryan & Deci, 2000). This satisfaction activates learning potential, promotes proactive engagement (Sakiz et al., 2012 ), and mitigates academic vulnerability. (2) Inclusivity and academic achievement. Perceived respect and belongingness catalyze students' voluntary participation in academic activities. Teachers' empathetic understanding establishes reciprocal teacher-student relationships (Lauermann, 2014 ) while strengthening emotional investment and collective identity (Xu, 2024 ). This relational dynamic enhances cognitive absorption in learning tasks and improves performance metrics through heightened institutional commitment. (3) Conscientiousness and academic achievement. Teachers' dutiful implementation of pedagogical responsibilities ensures students' access to three critical resources: 1) Curricular expertise, 2) Diversified instructional methods, and 3) Developmental opportunities—all significant predictors of academic achievement (Lei et al., 2015 ). Through perceiving educators' professional dedication and emotional investment, students internalize learning motivations, transforming external expectations into self-regulated scholarly pursuits. The tripartite model of teachers’ caring behavior—supportiveness, inclusivity, and conscientiousness—operates through interconnected psychological and practical mechanisms. By fulfilling students' basic psychological needs and providing strategic academic scaffolding, these behaviors not only enhance immediate learning outcomes but also cultivate sustainable competencies in value internalization, skill acquisition, and innovative thinking. This evidence positions teacher care as both an emotional enabler and pedagogical imperative in higher education contexts. Academic self-efficacy and academic achievement Academic self-efficacy denotes learners’ self-assessment of their capacity to achieve educational objectives, encompassing two dimensions: academic capability self-efficacy (confidence in completing tasks and avoiding failure) and academic behavioral self-efficacy (assurance in implementing effective learning strategies) (Bandura, 1982 ; Huang & Wang, 2023 ). Empirical evidence indicates a positive correlation between self-efficacy levels and academic goal attainment, with higher efficacy fostering enhanced motivation, persistence, and performance optimization (Lei et al., 2015 ; Cai & Yang, 2019 ). Self-efficacy theory posits that individuals’ ability evaluations directly influence behavioral choices (Olivier et al., 2018 ). Students with robust academic capability self-efficacy exhibit heightened intrinsic motivation, proactive learning dispositions, and cognitive engagement (Liang, 2004 ). This self-belief system translates into increased time investment and strategic resource allocation during learning processes, thereby improving achievement outcomes (Xu, 2024 ). The behavioral dimension of self-efficacy demonstrates dual functionality: (1) Cognitive Activation : It drives students to critically evaluate and refine learning approaches when confronting challenges (Cai & Yang, 2019 ); (2) Competency Reinforcement : Through cross-disciplinary self-assessment, learners develop adaptive problem-solving skills and academic resilience (Beghetto, 2006 ). Notably, both dimensions synergistically contribute to academic success through distinct mechanisms. Capability efficacy strengthens foundational confidence in subject mastery, while behavioral efficacy enhances metacognitive regulation and methodological flexibility. This dual pathway explains why self-efficacious learners demonstrate superior performance in complex educational environments, particularly in tasks requiring creative thinking and iterative improvement. Model construction Academic achievement represents a crucial variable to scale college students' comprehensive ability and professional accomplishment (Lu et al., 2022 ). At the same time, the caring behavior of teachers helps improve the academic achievement of students. To encounter severe employment situation and economic transformation in China, there is an urgent need to determine how better academic achievements can be realized, in order to attain strong employment competitiveness. The extant studies indicate that both internal and external factors derive academic achievement (Lei et al., 2015 ; Tao et al., 2022 ; Li et al., 2022 ). In the context of self-determination theory, students' academic achievement is not only closely associated with the caring behavior of teachers but also affected by their own academic self-efficacy (Lei et al., 2015 ). However, it is difficult to optimize the academic achievement of college students only by depending on teachers' caring behavior (Lee & Yuen, 2019 ). Parallel to this, it is also difficult to effectively explain the academic achievement of students by merely relying on academic self-efficacy (Olivier et al., 2018 ). Additionally, the conscientiousness, supportiveness, and inclusiveness involved in the caring behavior of teachers demonstrate relatively independent connotations, while there is also different influential mechanism on academic achievement(Lei, 2014 ). On the same note, the academic ability self-efficacy and the academic method self-efficacy relevant to academic self-efficacy also differ in key attributes (Xu, 2024 ). As a result, the approach to improve the academic achievement of college students does not represent the academic self-efficacy or caring behavior of a single teacher but a synergistic combination of the two elements. Therefore, this research article recommends that teachers' caring behavior and academic self-efficacy cannot exhibit an isolated effect on academic achievement; conversely, their influences on academic achievement are systematic and complex(Lei et al., 2015 ). Based on this, in this study, the complex causal mechanism influencing the academic achievement of college students is explored from the viewpoint of configuration (Du & Jia, 2017 ); thereby, attempting to address how five antecedents, namely: conscientiousness, inclusiveness, supportiveness, academic ability self-efficacy, and academic behavior self-efficacy, collaborate to bolster academic achievement of college students. Accordingly, the constructed theoretical model is depicted in Fig. 1 . Methodology Qualitative comparative analysis Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) intends to investigate the non-linear complex association between multiple antecedents and the configuration path of interpretation results (Cai & Yang, 2019 ). In comparison to traditional methods such as structural equation modeling and regression analysis, the QCA technique analyzes multiple concurrent causalities by determining multiple paths with the same results and comprehends multivariable interaction research in complex situations; hence, effectively supporting the research analysis on configuration issues that combine theory-oriented and phenomenon-driven methods (Du & Jia, 2017 ). Noticeably, QCA methods include crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis (csQCA), fsQCA, and multi-value qualitative comparative analysis (mvQCA) (Zhang & Du, 2019 ). As compared to mvQCA and csQCA, fsQCA is more suitable for examining the impact of different degrees of continuous anthems, including inclusiveness, support, conscientiousness, academic ability self-efficacy, and academic behavior self-efficacy, on the academic achievement of college students; therefore, fully highlighting the possible access configuration path. Concurrently, fsQCA extends a combination of asymmetric anthems that influence academic achievement, which is helpful for more thoroughly comprehending the complexity of the driving mechanism of college students' academic achievement. In line with this, the fsQCA method is adopted in this research paper for research analysis. Data collection To conduct empirical analysis, we collected data by means of questionnaire surveys. We used well-established reference scales for all our variables. To ensure the quality of the questionnaire items, we invited a number of scholars and businesspeople to evaluate and revise them after we formulated the first draft. We also made some adjustments after pretesting the questionnaire. Specifically, a combination of convenience sampling and snowball sampling procedures was used to select potential participants. Specifically, a 20 min anonymous digital questionnaire generated by the online questionnaire platform of Wenjuanxing (a professional questionnaire website in Mainland China) was administered to available university staff, who then distributed it to available students. Finally, a total of 276 valid questionnaires were obtained in this research study. In terms of gender, male students accounted for 56.16% and female students 43.84%. From the standpoint of majors, liberal arts accounted for 61.96%, and science and engineering accounted for 38.04%. In the context of grade distribution, the first and second grades accounted for 53.62%, and the third and fourth grades accounted for 46.38%. Moreover, SPSS software was applied to explore possible common method bias through Harman’s single-factor test. Reportedly, common method bias did not affect the data and hence the results since less than 50% (31.555%) of the total variance was explained by one common factor (Huang & Wang, 2023 ). Variable measurement Teachers' caring behavior The caring behavior of teachers was gauged with the 14-item scale, borrowed from Lei et al. ( 2015 ). The proposed scale contains three major dimensions, namely (1): conscientiousness (6 items, such as, “I can seriously complete the classroom teaching”); (2) supportiveness (5 items, such as, “I can give detailed answers to students' questions\"); and (3) inclusiveness (3 items, including, “When a student's viewpoint conflicts with mine, I respect their perspective\"). Consistently, students were instructed to rate the items on a 5-point Likert scale that ranged from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Besides this, Cronbach's α (0.852) for the overall scale exhibited good reliability, as showed the subscales of inclusiveness (0.835), supportiveness (0.743), and conscientiousness (0.851). Further, the KMO value stood at 0.877, while the Bartlett test P value was documented to be 0.0000. Lastly, the cumulative variance accounted for 58.036%; thereby, reflecting that the scale demonstrated high reliability and validity. Academic self-efficacy Academic self-efficacy was estimated with the help of an 8-items scale adapted from Huang & Wang ( 2023 ). Prominently, this scale contains two main dimensions: (1) ability self-efficacy (4 items, e.g., “I believe I can execute all the learning tasks assigned by the teacher”); and (2) behavior self-efficacy (4 items, such as., “When I think regarding a certain problem, I can apply the knowledge I have learned prior to and after thinking”). Thereafter, students were warranted to rate the items on a 5-point Likert scale that also ranged from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Meanwhile, the Cronbach's α (0.804) for the overall scale reflected good reliability, as did the subscales of capability self-efficacy (0.708), inclusiveness (0.835), and behavior self-efficacy (0.736). Likewise, the KMO value was recorded to be 0.835, whereas the Bartlett test P value was reportedly 0.0000. Finally, the cumulative variance accounted for 56.630%; thus, confirming that the aforementioned scale carried high reliability and validity. Academic achievement Explicitly, academic achievement was weighed with the help of 3 items adapted from Zhang et al. ( 2022 ). Accordingly, college students were requested to rate the items on a five-point Likert scale that varied from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). For instance, one sample item was \"I will complete the learning task within the stipulated time period\". Additionally, Cronbach's α coefficient of the scale stood at 0.787, while the KMO value was 0.820. Similarly, the P value of the Bartlett test was reported to be 0.000, and the cumulative variance ratio was 54.292%; hence, indicating that the scale had high validity and reliability. Correlation analysis Table 1 reports the results of descriptive statistics and correlation analyses, including the means, standard deviations (SDs), and inter-correlations between the studied variables. Expectedly, academic achievement showed significantly positive correlation with conscientiousness (γ = 0.541, p < 0.05), supportiveness (γ = 0.471, p < 0.05), academic ability self-efficacy (γ = 0.558, p < 0.05), inclusiveness (γ = 0.308, p < 0.05), and academic behavior self-efficacy (γ = 0.504, p < 0.05). Table 1 Results of correlation analysis. Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 1. Conscientiousness 4.061 0.555 1 2. supportiveness 4.153 0.541 0.591 ** 1 3. Inclusiveness 3.583 1.069 0.223 ** 0.327 ** 1 4. Academic ability self-efficacy 4.177 0.555 0.588 ** 0.555 ** 0.262 ** 1 5. Academic behavior self-efficacy 4.073 0.594 0.485 ** 0.430 ** 0.234 ** 0.545 ** 1 6. Academic achievement 4.318 0.527 0.541 ** 0.471 ** 0.308 ** 0.558 ** 0.504 ** 1 Note: SD = standard deviation; ** p < 0.01, * p < 0.05. Results Calibration Data calibration in QCA analysis principally includes two main methods. On the one hand, the direct calibration method calibrates each variable through three anchor points determined directly; while, on the other hand, the second technique assigns values to data in combination with the actual distribution of samples, practical experience, or theoretical knowledge, which is referred to as the indirect calibration method (Ragin et al., 2008 ). Reportedly, all variables in this paper were estimated using a 5-point Likert scale, but since the samples were majorly derived in the form of self-reports, there may be certain subjective intentions. Therefore, 1, 3.5, and 5 cannot be mechanically chosen as the three anchor points that present the full non-membership threshold (0.05), crossover point (0.5), and null membership threshold (0.95) (Ragin et al., 2008 ). As a result, drawing on Jacobs and Cambré (Jacobs & Cambré, 2019 ), the indirect calibration approach was implemented, and the \"percentile\" function in SPSS was employed to compute the values of 95%, 50%, and 5%. Meanwhile, the relevant results are illustrated in Table 2 . Afterward, (x, n1, n2, n3) functions were calibrated in fsQCA3.0 software and applied to perform data calibration for the ananefrequency variable. Table 2 Specific values of calibration anchor points of each variable Full non-membership threshold Cross over point Full membership threshold Antecedent variable Conscientiousness 3.000 4.167 4.833 Supportiveness 3.200 4.200 4.800 Inclusiveness 1.667 4.000 5.000 Academic ability self-efficacy 3.000 4.250 5.000 Academic behavior self-efficacy 3.000 4.250 5.000 Result variable Academic achievement 3.250 4.500 5.000 Necessary analysis Notably, no single condition can be independently used as an essential or sufficient condition to influence academic achievement when the adequacy consistency rate and necessity coverage rate of all anthems are lower than 0.9 (Jacobs & Cambré, 2019 ). In this scenario, there is a need to anticipate the configuration of multiple antecedent conditions. Correspondingly, the necessity test results of a single antecedent condition are depicted in Table 3 . Evidently, there is no single antecedent condition with a sufficient consistency rate and necessity coverage rate higher than the 0.9 threshold. Based on this, configuration analysis can be undertaken in this study. Table 3 Necessity analysis results of antecedent conditions on outcome variables Antecedent variable High academic achievement Non-high academic achievement Consistency Coverage Consistency Coverage Teachers' caring behavior Conscientiousness 0.797 0.777 0.576 0.590 ~ Conscientiousness 0.579 0.566 0.782 0.801 Supportiveness 0.817 0.729 0.603 0.564 ~ Supportiveness 0.511 0.551 0.710 0.802 Inclusiveness 0.580 0.539 0.752 0.732 ~ Inclusiveness 0.711 0.733 0.526 0.568 Academic self-efficacy Academic ability self-efficacy 0.802 0.746 0.598 0.583 ~ Academic ability self-efficacy 0.551 0.567 0.739 0.796 Academic behavior self-efficacy 0.736 0.769 0.543 0.596 ~ Academic behavior self-efficacy 0.613 0.562 0.790 0.759 Sufficient analysis of the conditional configuration The calibrated data were imported into the software for configuration, whereas the reduced solution, intermediate solution, and complex solution were obtained in this process. Furthermore, the simple solution and intermediate solution were nested and compared, in order to derive the final configuration result, namely: the 2 antecedent condition configurations of low academic achievement and 3 antecedent condition configurations of high academic achievement were obtained as a result (Table 4 ). Among them, the consistency of the 3 high academic achievement configurations (TIA, TIC, & TIB) was documented to be 0.866, 0.903, & 0.892, respectively. Additionally, the overall consistency was 0.846; thus, establishing that when the vast majority of cases were fulfilled, the three configurations also represented sufficient conditions for realizing high academic achievement. Moreover, the overall coverage rate stood at 0.620, which explains 62 percent of the high academic achievement. Similarly, the consistency of the two anthems of low academic achievement (NTIB & NTIA) was 0.921 and 0.921, respectively, and the overall consistency was recorded to be 0.910, which also presented a sufficient condition for low academic achievement. Further, the overall coverage was reportedly 0.593, which explained 59.3 percent of the reasons behind low academic achievement. On the basis of derived results, fsQCA effectively identifies the 5 configurations of high/non-high academic achievement while displaying strong explanatory power. Table 4 Configurations for high and non-high academic achievement in fsQCA. Antecedent variable High academic achievement Non-high academic achievement TIA TIB TIC NTIA NTIB Conscientiousness ⚫ ● ⮿ ⮿ Supportiveness ● ● ⮿ Inclusiveness ⮿ ⮿ ⮿ ● Academic ability self-efficacy ● ● ⮿ ⮿ Academic behavior self-efficacy ● ⚫ ⮿ ⮿ Consistency 0.866 0.892 0.903 0.921 0.921 Raw coverage 0.574 0.511 0.520 0.533 0.542 Unique coverage 0.081 0.019 0.027 0.051 0.060 Solution consistency 0.846 0.910 Solution coverage 0.620 0.593 Note: ● indicate the core conditions, ⚫ indicate the peripheral conditions, ⮿ indicate its absence, Blank spaces indicate that the dimension has no effect on the result. Configuration analysis for high academic achievement The TIA path can be termed the \" supportiveness-competence self-efficacy driven model\", which stresses that the synergistic effect of teachers' supportive behavior and academic competence self-efficacy improve the academic achievement of college students in the case of weak inclusive behavior (Huang & Wang,2023). The aforementioned path indicates that it is hard and challenging to attain a high level of academic achievement, which warrants the support of teachers and the academic ability and self-efficacy of students (Chen et al ., 2022). On the one hand, the establishment of harmonious interactive affiliation between teachers and students enables enhancement of academic interest, enthusiasm, initiative, and sustainability (Luo et al ., 2023). Conversely, academic ability self-efficacy increases learning motivation, triggers the inner perception of college students, ensures their perseverance and ability to be competent for learning tasks, and realizes the learning goals with greater confidence, substantial capability, and more scientific approaches. As a consequence, given that the harmonious interaction mechanism between teachers and students is built and teachers extend students with assistance in academic activities and future planning, the low inclusive behavior of teachers augments the sense of competence and self-confidence in learning through the sense of academic ability self-efficacy, and stimulates the intrinsic learning motivation, initiative, and creativity of college students; hence, supplementing their academic achievement (Habieb et al ., 2013). Based on the aforementioned analysis, the following propositions are put forward in this research study: Evidently, when teachers demonstrate supportive caring behavior, college students with academic ability and self-efficacy improve their academic achievement even if there is no inclusive behavior. In addition, the TIB path can be referred to as the \"conscientiousness-supportiveness-behavioral self-efficacy driving model\", which implies that under the teachers' lack of inclusiveness, the collaborative configuration of teachers' conscientiousness, academic behavior self-efficacy, and supportive caring behavior bolster the academic achievement of college students. Specifically, teacher care represents a crucial noble character, with the characteristics of morality, professionalism, and responsibility, aiming at maintaining connections, avoiding harm, and taking responsibility (Lei, 2014 ; Lei et al., 2015 ). Certainly, conscientiousness not only reflects the completion of teaching tasks based on the curriculum syllabus but also assertion on content mastery and higher-order thinking, and emphasis on learning as the center, while concreting teaching innovation, utilizing various teaching methods and strategies to improve teaching and education effects, and laying the basis for high academic achievement (Lei, 2014 ). Furthermore, support as a further extension of teachers' conscientiousness, serves as the core element of teachers' caring behavior. Obviously, teachers’ conscientiousness not only reflects in teachers' efforts to invest more time, effort, and energy to cement the relationship between teachers and students, paying adequate attention to students' physical and mental health as well as academic issues but also manifests in selfless dedication to students in the shape of enthusiastic and prompt responses to students' feedback (Huang & Wang, 2023 ). As a result, college students shall not only possess more courage and confidence, and enhance their learning interest but also actively optimize and reflect on their learning approaches to complete their studies with high quality when teachers take responsibility, warm praise, sincerely advise, and offer more encouragement and support to educate students. In light of the above analysis, the following propositions are put forward in this paper: College students with a sense of academic behavior self-efficacy improve their academic achievement even in case inclusive behavior is absent when teachers display conscientiousness and supportive caring behavior. The TIC path can be called the \"Conscientious-self-efficacy driving model\", which holds that the collaborative configuration of teachers’ conscientiousness, academic behavior self-efficacy, and academic ability self-efficacy improve college students' academic achievement, under the condition of teachers’ lack of inclusiveness. Specifically, caring essentially presents a sort of obligation and responsibility, while conscientiousness serves as the basic component of teachers' caring behavior (Lei, 2014 ). On the one hand, teachers' concern should be primarily based on the completion of most basic teaching tasks; aligned with this, conscientiousness offers the basic guarantee for college students to complete their studies (Lei et al., 2015 ). On the other hand, teachers' professionalism and role models, and their dedication to college students, make college students feel the teacher's positive attention to them in the process of education and teaching; thereby, exerting the positive emotional experience of being understood, respected, and supported by the teachers (Li et al., 2021 ), which further triggers high academic self-efficacy. Meanwhile, college students with high academic self-efficacy shall work harder. Students show more willingness to complete their studies with high quality and realize desired academic achievements, with stronger learning motivation and higher self-efficacy expectations (Bai et al., 2022 ). In other words, when students possess dual-dimensional self-efficacy, their academic achievements demonstrate a synergistic enhancement: sustained confidence in cognitive abilities synergizes with adaptive implementation of refined learning strategies, collectively driving substantial improvements in educational attainment. Parallel to the aforementioned research analysis, the following propositions are outlined in this research paper: When teachers demonstrate conscientious caring behavior, college students with a sense of academic self-efficacy improve their academic achievement even when there is no inclusive behavior. Configuration analysis for non-high academic achievement In particular, the proposed pathway is as follows: NTIA pathway: ~ conscientiousness⊆~ supportiveness ⊆~ academic competence self-efficacy⊆~ academic behavior self-efficacy. Accordingly, this pathway highlights that despite teacher inclusivity, high academic achievement shall be inhibited when there is a low academic self-efficacy of college and teachers' conscientiousness and supportive caring behavior are absent. Since the teacher often cannot complete the teaching task seriously when the teacher's conscientiousness is lacking or at a low level As a consequence, the teaching work is irresponsible, the teaching method is backward, and it is difficult for college students to systematically obtain professional knowledge. In addition to this, teachers are not only less likely to spend more resources on the teaching process, but there is also less interaction between teachers and students and a lack of selfless dedication to students (Lee & Yuen, 2019 ). At this point, the level of inclusivity is no longer crucial; the high inclusivity shall lead to teachers’ \"neglecting essential things\"; conversely, the level of inclusivity shall exhibit extremely low caring behavior by teachers, which shall also result in high-quality academic achievement being difficult to accomplish. Moreover, in the context of college students' sense of self-efficacy, the lack of academic ability self-efficacy and academic behavior self-efficacy results in a lack of learning motivation and confidence, which further embeds the creation of high academic achievement. Furthermore, the NTIB path: ~ conscientiousness inclusivity⊆~ academic competence self-efficacy⊆~ academic behavior self-efficacy, indicates that when conscientious behaviors of teachers are absent and college students' academic self-efficacy is low, teachers with highly inclusive caring behaviors cannot obtain high academic achievement, regardless of teachers' supportive behaviors. In the meantime, inclusiveness presents an important dimension of teachers' caring behavior, which warrants teachers to comprehend and respect students in the teaching process, care about their academic performance as well as their physical and mental health, and tolerate their mistakes and shortcomings. Although, when teachers only demonstrate inclusive behavior without executing the teaching task, it is only a kind of \"indulgence\" even when there is a high level of inclusiveness (Lei & Li, 2018 ). Simultaneously, the lower the academic self-efficacy of college students is, the lower their motivation and effort, which shall exert an adverse impact on academic achievement. Robustness test In this study, the robustness test approach proposed by Zhang & Du ( 2019 ) was incorporated for reference. Primarily, quantile values of calibration data were changed, and anchors of 95%, 50%, and 5% were adopted, respectively. Subsequently, the PRI consistency threshold in necessity analysis is raised and 0.8 is adjusted to 0.9. Afterward, the sample frequency was increased and 1 was adjusted to 2. The results showed that only the overall consistency and coverage coefficient changed slightly after again passing the standard analysis procedure. Contrary to this, the combination of core conditions and auxiliary conditions of the reduced solution and the intermediate solution did not display potential change. Consequently, the research conclusion was declared robust. Discussion Theoretical implications First, this research paper breaks through the analysis limitation of multifactor interdependence of academic achievement that has not been thoroughly explored in the extant literature (Lei et al., 2015 ; Yang et al., 2016 ; Li et al., 2021 ; Ryan et al., 2022 ) while uncovering the complex causal mechanism of academic achievement improvement by resolving the bottleneck issue of academic achievement improvement. In light of the relevant studies, 5 antecedents influencing academic achievement are derived from the self-efficacy and teacher care theory. In addition, a research framework for studying the complex causal association of academic achievement is built, which lays a foundation for empirical analysis of the synergistic impact of various antecedents on academic achievement. Concurrently, this research article determines the comprehensive influence results of antecedent conditions matching each other while opening the \"black box\" of academic achievement improvement through configuration effect analysis, which is conducive to enriching and expanding the analysis on academic achievement. Second, from the configuration perspective, this study in-depth analyzes the synergistic influence of teachers’ caring behavior and academic self-efficacy on academic achievement, which supports the application of fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis for academic achievement. Firstly, this paper extends the research object of the connection between the caring behavior of teachers and academic achievement from primary- and secondary schools to college students, in response to the suggestion by Yang et al. ( 2016 ). Contrarily, this study changes the driving model of academic achievement from a relatively isolated emphasis on students' own psychological characteristics and external factors to a collaborative focus on the students' own and the combined impact of multiple external factors, unlike existing studies that focus on examining the causal association between single or multiple factors (Lei et al., 2015 ; Yang et al., 2016 ) and ignore the combined impact of external influences required for academic achievement and their own psychological characteristics. In the meantime, exploring the mechanism of teachers' caring behavior and college students' academic self-efficacy jointly driving academic achievement from the viewpoint of \"four new\" education in China is helpful to not only compensate for the restrictions of current literature in discovering the pre-factors of academic achievement at a single level but also enrich the application of fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (Lei et al., 2015 ; Huang & Wang, 2023 ). Third, this research article effectively identifies the situational mechanism of different anthemic configurations to realize the same goal result; consequently, offering a novel perspective for further analyzing the mechanism of improvement in the academic achievement of college students. Reportedly, existing studies have carried out a preliminary discussion on the improvement of teachers' caring behavior and academic self-efficacy in academic achievement (Lei et al., 2015 ), but the research conclusions of this paper are distinct from those of past studies. In this study, it is confirmed that teachers' caring behavior and academic self-efficacy exert different influences on academic achievement in the high configuration of academic achievement. As a result, the research conclusion facilitates compensate for the limitations of present studies, which emphasizes the net impact of single anthems on academic achievement while ignoring the complementary and synergistic correlation between various factors in several contexts; hence, extending a new channel to explain potential research differences. Managerial implications First, the notion of improving the academic achievement of college students should be changed to \"configuration coordination\" from \"directional optimization\". By elaborating that antecedent factors such as conscientiousness, inclusiveness, supportiveness, academic ability self-efficacy, and academic behavior self-efficacy do not present essential conditions for improving academic achievement, the coordination of internal and external psychological factors can be implemented to nurture college students' academic self-efficacy and teachers' caring behavior, in the context of teachers and students and from the perspective of configuration theory through the adaptation of antecedent conditions (Du et al., 2021 ); thereby, illuminating the differentiated cultivation and application of appropriate strategies for improvement in college students' academic achievement. Second, due significance should be attached to the combination conditions of developing the configuration of academic achievement. Among different configurations of high academic achievement, supportiveness, conscientiousness, academic ability self-efficacy, and academic behavior self-efficacy are the core conditions for realizing academic achievement. Similarly, conscientiousness serves as the basis for improving academic achievement (Lei et al., 2015 ), academic self-efficacy reflects the judgment and confident experience of college students' capability and performance to complete their studies, and supportiveness presents the key link for improving academic achievement (Cai & Yang, 2019 ; Olivier et al., 2018 ). On the one hand, from the angle of teachers' caring behavior, universities and colleges need to integrate the caring behavior of teachers into the education and teaching process, make them devote themselves to teaching, be strict with themselves, fully cultivate and give play to teachers' caring behavior, enhance their professional spirit, strengthen their responsibility and education mission, and provide college students with help and supportiveness in study and practical situations. Further, teachers should establish communication mechanisms with college students and fully understand and respect the differences and diverse needs of the students. Additionally, colleges and universities should offer policy guarantees and systems for the cultivation of teachers' caring behavior. In order to improve the incentive mechanism and boost the enthusiasm and initiative of teachers' caring behavior; there is a need to cultivate the university culture of innovation, tolerance, dedication, dedication and competition; improve the performance evaluation mechanism and enhance the motivation of teachers' caring behavior through performance feedback; and establish a cultural atmosphere for the implementation of caring behavior (Lei et al., 2015 ). On the other hand, from the academic self-efficacy perspective, self-efficacy denotes that college students establish a correct perception of learning and recognize the significance of learning, exhibit strong confidence and positive attitudes toward their learning ability, and assume they can complete the learning goals and tasks; thereby, highly recognizing the value of learning and surging learning input (Deng et al., 2022 ). Thus, teachers should not only adhere to the education narrative of being \"student-centered\" and \"people-oriented\", but actively communicate with students, enhance their confidence, encourage students to listen to and respect students' ideas, and cultivate the spirit of encountering difficulties but also enhance college students' self-efficacy, increase their learning input (Wang, 2023 ), stimulate their learning competence, and further accelerate the transformation of college students' learning input into output, in order to support students yield satisfactory academic achievements. Third, there is also due need to emphasize the significance of non-high academic achievement configuration. Primarily, the configuration path of high and non-high academic achievement is asymmetrical, and the opposite of the cause of non-high academic achievement is the cause of high academic achievement. Moreover, in order to improve academic achievement, it is essential to utilize configuration cognition to deeply comprehend the complex association between teachers' caring behavior and college students' sense of self-efficacy and to discover and grasp the core elements from multiple paths (Du et al., 2021 ). Meanwhile, this paper reports that the lack of academic self-efficacy and conscientiousness presents a critical reason behind the lack of academic achievement. Resultantly, on the one hand, it is both urgent and crucial for universities and colleges to strengthen the conscientious behavior of teachers. Further, there is not only a need to motivate teachers to concrete their sense of responsibility in education and teaching at the policy level but also to enhance their sense of dedication through training and learning (Semradova and Hubackova, 2014 ). On the other hand, it is also highly imperative to nurture the academic self-efficacy of college students (Deng et al., 2022 ). Consistently, teachers should extend more supportiveness and affiliations with college students, in order to encourage students to enhance their academic self-efficacy (Chen & Ma, 2022 ). Besides, it is also imperative to guide college students to make correct attributions and help them analyze and address potential problems; support and guide college students to actively participate in learning activities, feel learning practices, carry out self-evaluations and others' evaluations, and uplift positive experiences. Limitations and future directions There are also certain limitations associated with this study. Firstly, the employed research model does not include all potential factors that may influence academic achievement, such as student-teacher interaction 7 , family socioeconomic status(Huang & Wang, 2023 ), and teacher emotional intelligence(Gao, 2022 ), therefore, further exploration is warranted in the future. Secondly, this research paper incorporates the fsQCA method to ascertain the multiple interactions of factors affecting academic achievement. Owing to the possible differences in the university types, college students shall attach different levels of significance to academic achievement. Hence, future research may distinguish different types of schools and education institutes, such as research universities and vocational institutions, and undertake comparative research to uncover the differences in paths for fostering the academic achievement of different types of college students. Conclusions Based on the configuration perspective, this research paper incorporates the fsQCA method to discover the complex causal mechanism influencing academic achievement of college students by integrating 5 antecedents, namely: conscientiousness, inclusiveness, supportiveness, academic ability self-efficacy, and academic behavior self-efficacy. Accordingly, the relevant research conclusions are as follows: First, conscientiousness, academic ability self-efficacy, academic behavior self-efficacy, supportiveness, and inclusivity are not the only compulsory conditions for high and non-high academic achievement. This means that a single anagen condition is not sufficient to fully reflect the possible causes behind the high and non-high academic achievement, while the net impact of anagen condition on academic achievement is only valid in certain circumstances. Notably, the academic achievement of college students is affected by several factors, which accords with the essence of set theory (Du & Jia, 2017 ). Second, the academic achievement of college students is impacted by various factors (Lei et al., 2015 ; Yang et al., 2016 ; Li et al., 2021 ; Ryan et al., 2022 ). Further, the proposed achievement displays the characteristics of common destination\" and \"multiple concurrency\". This research study indicated that there exist three main types of configurations that drive high academic achievement, which is summarized as the \"conscientious-supportiveness -behavior self-efficacy driven model\", \"conscientious-self-efficacy driven model\", and \" supportiveness-ability self-efficacy driven model\". Besides this, there also exist two driving paths for non-high academic achievement, whereas there is an asymmetric association with the driving path for high academic achievement (Gao, 2022 ). Third, the reasonable match between teachers' academic self-efficacy and caring behavior plays an imperative role in improving the academic achievement of college students. Noticeably, \"teachers’ caring behavior and academic self-efficacy effectively explain academic achievement\" has been verified by Lei et al. ( 2015 ), Yang et al. ( 2016 ), and Ryan et al. ( 2022 ), which is contrary to the structural equation model and traditional regression analysis employed in existing literature. In this study, the fsQCA method is adopted to further examine the synergistic influence between caring behavior and academic self-efficacy of teachers, which is supportive of both refining and expanding the anthems of academic achievement. Furthermore, the academic achievement of college students is not only closely associated with teachers' caring behavior but also inseparable from their own academic self-efficacy. In specific, the collaboration between teacher supportiveness and academic ability self-efficacy improves academic achievement when inclusive caring behavior is low; the matching of conscientiousness, academic behavior self-efficacy, and supportive caring behavior improves academic achievement when inclusive caring behavior is low. In addition to this, teachers exhibiting conscientious caring behavior and college students with high academic self-efficacy are able to yield high academic achievement. Declarations Acknowledgements We would like to express our gratitude to the participants who took part in this study. Author contributions CYT conceived the study, drafted the manuscript, and took responsibility for the manuscript as a whole. YZS provided advice on study design and supervised the data collection. FJ and WMC participated in data col­lection and data analysis. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version. Funding This study received funding from the teaching research project of Hebei Province \"Research on the Ideological and Political Evaluation System of Financial Major Courses in Colleges and Universities Based on CIPP Model\" (2023GJJG111) Data availability The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Ethical approval This study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Ethics Committee of Hebei Agricultural University (No 10/2024). Informed consent Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Consent for publication No applicable. Competing interests All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. References Al-Rofo, M. The dimensions that affect the students' low accumulative average in Tafila Technical University. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {\"props\":{\"pageProps\":{\"initialData\":{\"identity\":\"rs-7015083\",\"acceptedTermsAndConditions\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"archivedVersions\":[],\"articleType\":\"Research Article\",\"associatedPublications\":[],\"authors\":[{\"id\":510016527,\"identity\":\"bfd0faad-f6a3-4f14-b507-960a93293ae1\",\"order_by\":0,\"name\":\"Chaoyong Tang\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Hebei Agricultural University\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Chaoyong\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Tang\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":510016528,\"identity\":\"3792b52e-6d68-49fc-9bd4-782175149f3f\",\"order_by\":1,\"name\":\"Yongzhi Shi\",\"email\":\"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA1klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJACxg8VNjxszMwHDnz4QaQWZokzaTJ87GyJB2f2EGsNb9thGzl+HuPDHGxEqJafkf6AQYItDegwng+HGXgY5PnFDuDXYnAjIYGhgAfkF94NhwssGAxnzk4goEUi4QCDhEQaRMsMHoYEg9sEtMjPSGxg4DE4DHLYAyBJhBaGG8kMDDwJYC0MxGkxOPMMGMgHQA5jMwAGsgRhv8i3pz9g/PjPxl6+//DjDx9+2MjzSxNymEACO3KUSxBQDgL8B4hQNApGwSgYBSMbAADrYTz9BxQZfQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Hebei Agricultural University\",\"correspondingAuthor\":true,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Yongzhi\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Shi\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":510016529,\"identity\":\"d4c24609-a6c4-4a17-b92e-786f472bfb05\",\"order_by\":2,\"name\":\"Fan Jiang\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Hebei Agricultural University\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Fan\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Jiang\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":510016530,\"identity\":\"c0043047-de2f-49ea-883c-f4b2e0ecd193\",\"order_by\":3,\"name\":\"Wanming Chen\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Wanming\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Chen\",\"suffix\":\"\"}],\"badges\":[],\"createdAt\":\"2025-07-01 02:23:05\",\"currentVersionCode\":1,\"declarations\":\"\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7015083/v1\",\"doiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7015083/v1\",\"draftVersion\":[],\"editorialEvents\":[],\"editorialNote\":\"\",\"failedWorkflow\":false,\"files\":[{\"id\":90663205,\"identity\":\"1b069e93-71d6-4768-9222-e51838d0c848\",\"added_by\":\"auto\",\"created_at\":\"2025-09-05 12:02:19\",\"extension\":\"png\",\"order_by\":1,\"title\":\"Figure 1\",\"display\":\"\",\"copyAsset\":false,\"role\":\"figure\",\"size\":22687,\"visible\":true,\"origin\":\"\",\"legend\":\"\\u003cp\\u003etheoretical model\\u003c/p\\u003e\",\"description\":\"\",\"filename\":\"1.png\",\"url\":\"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7015083/v1/5a8af45f532d47988ce38241.png\"},{\"id\":90664409,\"identity\":\"34646ba1-1117-46a3-854b-ac3fb078be00\",\"added_by\":\"auto\",\"created_at\":\"2025-09-05 12:18:20\",\"extension\":\"pdf\",\"order_by\":0,\"title\":\"\",\"display\":\"\",\"copyAsset\":false,\"role\":\"manuscript-pdf\",\"size\":1329975,\"visible\":true,\"origin\":\"\",\"legend\":\"\",\"description\":\"\",\"filename\":\"manuscript.pdf\",\"url\":\"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7015083/v1/3217c6f1-b439-4b4d-8c1b-6a1253c70382.pdf\"}],\"financialInterests\":\"No competing interests reported.\",\"formattedTitle\":\"Beyond linear effects: Synergistic Effects of Teacher Caring and Academic Self-Efficacy on Academic Achievement—A Nonlinear fsQCA Study of Chinese Undergraduates\",\"fulltext\":[{\"header\":\"Introduction\",\"content\":\"\\u003cp\\u003eAcademic achievement, as a core indicator of educational quality assessment, constitutes both a classical theme in educational psychology research and a crucial observational dimension for measuring students' holistic development in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education (An et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR2\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2022\\u003c/span\\u003e; Al-Rofo, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR1\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2010\\u003c/span\\u003e). Within ecological models of academic achievement, the social support provided by teachers as key agents has demonstrated significant explanatory power (Sit et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR35\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2013\\u003c/span\\u003e). Empirical studies have identified three principal predictors: teacher support (encompassing emotional and cognitive dimensions) (Ji \\u0026amp; Zhao, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR16\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2021\\u003c/span\\u003e; Tao et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR36\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2022\\u003c/span\\u003e), positive teacher-student interactions (Kyere \\u003cem\\u003eet al\\u003c/em\\u003e., 2024), and professional collaboration among educators (Cook-Sather \\u003cem\\u003eet al\\u003c/em\\u003e., 2018). Notably, teachers’ caring behavior (TCB) has emerged as a novel paradigm in teacher support, gaining increasing research attention. Lei et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e) pioneered the theoretical framework of TCB, developed psychometrically robust measurement instruments, and validated its significant positive impact on secondary students' academic performance. Subsequent cross-cultural studies by Yang et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR39\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2016\\u003c/span\\u003e), Kate (2020), and Ilhavenil and Aravindan (2023) have extended these findings to diverse educational contexts. Current research exhibits two critical limitations: excessive focus on K-12 education with inadequate consideration of college students' developmental particularities, and paucity of empirical investigations in higher education. From developmental psychology perspectives, college students demonstrate marked heterogeneity in psychological mechanisms and learning patterns. Compared with adolescents, they exhibit mature metacognitive regulation capabilities (Yang et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR40\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2021\\u003c/span\\u003e) and heightened autonomy in professional goal-setting, learning strategy selection, and career planning (Zheng et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR43\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2023\\u003c/span\\u003e). Crucially, their learning motivation has transitioned from externally regulated to intrinsic motivation-driven paradigms (Zhang \\u003cem\\u003eet al\\u003c/em\\u003e., 2021), potentially diminishing the efficacy of traditional teacher support mechanisms. This context raises pivotal research questions: Does TCB retain predictive validity for college students' academic achievement? What distinctive mechanisms might characterize its effects in higher education? Addressing these questions holds significant theoretical implications for refining quality assessment systems in tertiary education.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eRooted in educational psychology theory, academic achievement fundamentally emerges from the interaction between instructional systems and student agency, operating through the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) theoretical paradigm. Teachers' caring behavior, as an external stimulus, necessitates mediation through students' intrinsic psychological mechanisms to actualize educational efficacy (Lei et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e). Within this process, academic self-efficacy—a core psychological construct defined as learners' self-referential judgments and beliefs about their capabilities to complete academic tasks, encompassing academic ability self-efficacy and academic behavioral self-efficacy (Pintrich \\u0026amp; De Groot, 1990)—serves as the critical mediator. Empirical evidence confirms that academic self-efficacy profoundly influences individuals' perceptions, cognition, and actions, thereby exerting substantial effects on academic outcomes (Multon et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR28\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e1991\\u003c/span\\u003e; Aarti \\u0026amp; Ravin, 2023). Specifically, both dimensions foster rational learning attitudes, persistence, motivation, and diligence (Bandura, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR4\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e1982\\u003c/span\\u003e). Mechanistic analyses reveal distinct operational pathways for these dual dimensions. Academic ability self-efficacy, representing internalized self-perceptions resistant to external influences, strengthens academic self-concept and cognitive flexibility, facilitates higher-order thinking, and enhances problem-solving capacities in challenging tasks, thereby driving academic success (Wei \\u003cem\\u003eet al\\u003c/em\\u003e., 2014; Cai \\u0026amp; Yang, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR6\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2019\\u003c/span\\u003e). Conversely, academic behavioral self-efficacy manifests externally by optimizing time management strategies and help-seeking behaviors, thereby improving learning process efficiency (Ang \\u0026amp; Pan, 2018). Notably, academic ability self-efficacy demonstrates a stronger association with achievement than its behavioral counterpart (Lei et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e). Recent studies by Kristensen \\u003cem\\u003eet al\\u003c/em\\u003e. (2024) and Güngör (2020) corroborate these findings: students with heightened academic self-efficacy exhibit confidence, proactive learning behaviors, and strategic resource allocation, directly enhancing achievement. However, extant literature predominantly examines self-efficacy as a unitary construct, neglecting differential impact analyses of its dual dimensions. This oversight perpetuates \\\"one-size-fits-all\\\" educational interventions, underscoring the urgent need for a dual-dimensional framework to elucidate distinct pathways for academic enhancement.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eExisting studies have separately examined the independent effects of exogenous drivers of teachers’ caring behavior (Lei et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e) and endogenous regulation of academic self-efficacy (Ji \\u0026amp; Zhao, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR16\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2021\\u003c/span\\u003e; Tao et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR36\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2022\\u003c/span\\u003e) on academic achievement, providing critical theoretical foundations for educational intervention strategies. However, the intrinsic nature of educational practice dictates that academic achievement emerges from synergistic interactions of multiple factors. Unidimensional explanatory models often fall into the \\\"explanatory power paradox,\\\" overlooking the value-added effects of factor complementarity and failing to elucidate nonlinear interactive mechanisms (Lei et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e; Yang et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR39\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2016\\u003c/span\\u003e). This study introduces Configuration Theory to construct an analytical framework, employing fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to transcend limitations of traditional linear methodologies (Du et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR11\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2021\\u003c/span\\u003e). It addresses three core questions: (1) Does a synergistic mechanism exist between teachers’ caring behavior and academic self-efficacy? How are its operational boundaries defined? (2) Do multiple equivalent configurations yield high academic achievement? (3) What typological variations characterize configurations leading to non-high achievement? By systematically deconstructing these mechanisms, this research aims to advance theoretical paradigms by replacing the prevailing \\\"isolated factor\\\" approach with a multi-factor synergy model. Practically, it seeks to inform precision education interventions through typological strategies tailored to distinct student profiles.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eTheoretical analysis and research framework\\u003c/b\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eTeachers' caring behavior and academic achievement\\u003c/b\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eTeachers' caring behavior encompasses educators' conscientious fulfillment of instructional responsibilities, dedicated investment in student development, and empathetic understanding of learners' needs, all aimed at fostering positive teacher-student relationships and achieving educational objectives (Lei et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e). This multidimensional construct comprises three key elements: \\u003cb\\u003econscientiousness\\u003c/b\\u003e—rigorous adherence to curricular standards and high-quality task implementation; \\u003cb\\u003esupportiveness\\u003c/b\\u003e—strategic allocation of time, knowledge, and resources to cultivate students' moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and vocational growth; and \\u003cb\\u003einclusivity\\u003c/b\\u003e—holistic acceptance of students' emotional, cognitive, and behavioral characteristics (Lei \\u0026amp; Li, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR21\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2018\\u003c/span\\u003e). Academic achievement, defined as the comprehensive integration of learning behaviors, attitudes, and outcomes within specific educational contexts (Huang \\u0026amp; Wang, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR14\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2023\\u003c/span\\u003e), serves as a critical metric for evaluating educational effectiveness. It extends beyond knowledge acquisition to encompass value cultivation, skill development, and innovative capacity enhancement. Notably, such achievement not only reflects students' academic competence but also significantly influences their career trajectories. As a core indicator of educational quality, it provides essential feedback for optimizing pedagogical practices and institutional training programs.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eEmpirical studies demonstrate that teachers' professional conduct—manifested through instructional approaches, work ethic, pedagogical encouragement, and student respect—serves dual functions in educational contexts: fostering constructive teacher-student interactions and enhancing learning outcomes (Lei, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR19\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2014\\u003c/span\\u003e; Lauermann, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR17\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2014\\u003c/span\\u003e). These behavioral dimensions optimize educational influence by unlocking learning potential, stimulating proactive dispositions, and improving academic performance, establishing teacher care as a critical determinant of collegiate success. (1) \\u003cb\\u003eSupportiveness and academic achievement.\\u003c/b\\u003e The Self-Determination Theory elucidates the mechanism underlying teacher supportiveness and academic outcomes. This framework posits that while individuals primarily base behavioral decisions on intrinsic psychological characteristics (e.g., interests, values), significant others' attitudes substantially shape motivational patterns (Lei, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR19\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2014\\u003c/span\\u003e). When significant others' characteristics conflict with students' behavioral patterns, such incongruence constrains motivational autonomy, thereby hindering developmental progress. Conversely, when students perceive recognition and support for their actions, three fundamental psychological needs—competence, relatedness, and autonomy—are fulfilled (Ryan \\u0026amp; Deci, 2000). This satisfaction activates learning potential, promotes proactive engagement (Sakiz et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR33\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2012\\u003c/span\\u003e), and mitigates academic vulnerability. (2) \\u003cb\\u003eInclusivity and academic achievement.\\u003c/b\\u003e Perceived respect and belongingness catalyze students' voluntary participation in academic activities. Teachers' empathetic understanding establishes reciprocal teacher-student relationships (Lauermann, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR17\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2014\\u003c/span\\u003e) while strengthening emotional investment and collective identity (Xu, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR38\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2024\\u003c/span\\u003e). This relational dynamic enhances cognitive absorption in learning tasks and improves performance metrics through heightened institutional commitment. (3) \\u003cb\\u003eConscientiousness and academic achievement.\\u003c/b\\u003e Teachers' dutiful implementation of pedagogical responsibilities ensures students' access to three critical resources: 1) Curricular expertise, 2) Diversified instructional methods, and 3) Developmental opportunities—all significant predictors of academic achievement (Lei et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e). Through perceiving educators' professional dedication and emotional investment, students internalize learning motivations, transforming external expectations into self-regulated scholarly pursuits.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eThe tripartite model of teachers’ caring behavior—supportiveness, inclusivity, and conscientiousness—operates through interconnected psychological and practical mechanisms. By fulfilling students' basic psychological needs and providing strategic academic scaffolding, these behaviors not only enhance immediate learning outcomes but also cultivate sustainable competencies in value internalization, skill acquisition, and innovative thinking. This evidence positions teacher care as both an emotional enabler and pedagogical imperative in higher education contexts.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eAcademic self-efficacy and academic achievement\\u003c/b\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eAcademic self-efficacy denotes learners’ self-assessment of their capacity to achieve educational objectives, encompassing two dimensions: \\u003cem\\u003eacademic capability self-efficacy\\u003c/em\\u003e (confidence in completing tasks and avoiding failure) and \\u003cem\\u003eacademic behavioral self-efficacy\\u003c/em\\u003e (assurance in implementing effective learning strategies) (Bandura, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR4\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e1982\\u003c/span\\u003e; Huang \\u0026amp; Wang, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR14\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2023\\u003c/span\\u003e). Empirical evidence indicates a positive correlation between self-efficacy levels and academic goal attainment, with higher efficacy fostering enhanced motivation, persistence, and performance optimization (Lei et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e; Cai \\u0026amp; Yang, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR6\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2019\\u003c/span\\u003e).\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eSelf-efficacy theory posits that individuals’ ability evaluations directly influence behavioral choices (Olivier et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR29\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2018\\u003c/span\\u003e). Students with robust academic capability self-efficacy exhibit heightened intrinsic motivation, proactive learning dispositions, and cognitive engagement (Liang, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR24\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2004\\u003c/span\\u003e). This self-belief system translates into increased time investment and strategic resource allocation during learning processes, thereby improving achievement outcomes (Xu, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR38\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2024\\u003c/span\\u003e). The behavioral dimension of self-efficacy demonstrates dual functionality: (1) \\u003cb\\u003eCognitive Activation\\u003c/b\\u003e: It drives students to critically evaluate and refine learning approaches when confronting challenges (Cai \\u0026amp; Yang, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR6\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2019\\u003c/span\\u003e); (2) \\u003cb\\u003eCompetency Reinforcement\\u003c/b\\u003e: Through cross-disciplinary self-assessment, learners develop adaptive problem-solving skills and academic resilience (Beghetto, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR5\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2006\\u003c/span\\u003e). Notably, both dimensions synergistically contribute to academic success through distinct mechanisms. Capability efficacy strengthens foundational confidence in subject mastery, while behavioral efficacy enhances metacognitive regulation and methodological flexibility. This dual pathway explains why self-efficacious learners demonstrate superior performance in complex educational environments, particularly in tasks requiring creative thinking and iterative improvement.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eModel construction\\u003c/b\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eAcademic achievement represents a crucial variable to scale college students' comprehensive ability and professional accomplishment (Lu et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR25\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2022\\u003c/span\\u003e). At the same time, the caring behavior of teachers helps improve the academic achievement of students. To encounter severe employment situation and economic transformation in China, there is an urgent need to determine how better academic achievements can be realized, in order to attain strong employment competitiveness. The extant studies indicate that both internal and external factors derive academic achievement (Lei et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e; Tao et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR36\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2022\\u003c/span\\u003e; Li et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR22\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2022\\u003c/span\\u003e ). In the context of self-determination theory, students' academic achievement is not only closely associated with the caring behavior of teachers but also affected by their own academic self-efficacy (Lei et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e). However, it is difficult to optimize the academic achievement of college students only by depending on teachers' caring behavior (Lee \\u0026amp; Yuen, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR18\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2019\\u003c/span\\u003e). Parallel to this, it is also difficult to effectively explain the academic achievement of students by merely relying on academic self-efficacy (Olivier et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR29\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2018\\u003c/span\\u003e). Additionally, the conscientiousness, supportiveness, and inclusiveness involved in the caring behavior of teachers demonstrate relatively independent connotations, while there is also different influential mechanism on academic achievement(Lei, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR19\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2014\\u003c/span\\u003e). On the same note, the academic ability self-efficacy and the academic method self-efficacy relevant to academic self-efficacy also differ in key attributes (Xu, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR38\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2024\\u003c/span\\u003e). As a result, the approach to improve the academic achievement of college students does not represent the academic self-efficacy or caring behavior of a single teacher but a synergistic combination of the two elements. Therefore, this research article recommends that teachers' caring behavior and academic self-efficacy cannot exhibit an isolated effect on academic achievement; conversely, their influences on academic achievement are systematic and complex(Lei et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e). Based on this, in this study, the complex causal mechanism influencing the academic achievement of college students is explored from the viewpoint of configuration (Du \\u0026amp; Jia, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR10\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2017\\u003c/span\\u003e); thereby, attempting to address how five antecedents, namely: conscientiousness, inclusiveness, supportiveness, academic ability self-efficacy, and academic behavior self-efficacy, collaborate to bolster academic achievement of college students. Accordingly, the constructed theoretical model is depicted in Fig.\\u0026nbsp;\\u003cspan refid=\\\"Fig1\\\" class=\\\"InternalRef\\\"\\u003e1\\u003c/span\\u003e.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\"},{\"header\":\"Methodology\",\"content\":\"\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eQualitative comparative analysis\\u003c/b\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eQualitative comparative analysis (QCA) intends to investigate the non-linear complex association between multiple antecedents and the configuration path of interpretation results (Cai \\u0026amp; Yang, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR6\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2019\\u003c/span\\u003e). In comparison to traditional methods such as structural equation modeling and regression analysis, the QCA technique analyzes multiple concurrent causalities by determining multiple paths with the same results and comprehends multivariable interaction research in complex situations; hence, effectively supporting the research analysis on configuration issues that combine theory-oriented and phenomenon-driven methods (Du \\u0026amp; Jia, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR10\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2017\\u003c/span\\u003e). Noticeably, QCA methods include crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis (csQCA), fsQCA, and multi-value qualitative comparative analysis (mvQCA) (Zhang \\u0026amp; Du, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR41\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2019\\u003c/span\\u003e). As compared to mvQCA and csQCA, fsQCA is more suitable for examining the impact of different degrees of continuous anthems, including inclusiveness, support, conscientiousness, academic ability self-efficacy, and academic behavior self-efficacy, on the academic achievement of college students; therefore, fully highlighting the possible access configuration path. Concurrently, fsQCA extends a combination of asymmetric anthems that influence academic achievement, which is helpful for more thoroughly comprehending the complexity of the driving mechanism of college students' academic achievement. In line with this, the fsQCA method is adopted in this research paper for research analysis.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eData collection\\u003c/b\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eTo conduct empirical analysis, we collected data by means of questionnaire surveys. We used well-established reference scales for all our variables. To ensure the quality of the questionnaire items, we invited a number of scholars and businesspeople to evaluate and revise them after we formulated the first draft. We also made some adjustments after pretesting the questionnaire. Specifically, a combination of convenience sampling and snowball sampling procedures was used to select potential participants. Specifically, a 20 min anonymous digital questionnaire generated by the online questionnaire platform of Wenjuanxing (a professional questionnaire website in Mainland China) was administered to available university staff, who then distributed it to available students. Finally, a total of 276 valid questionnaires were obtained in this research study. In terms of gender, male students accounted for 56.16% and female students 43.84%. From the standpoint of majors, liberal arts accounted for 61.96%, and science and engineering accounted for 38.04%. In the context of grade distribution, the first and second grades accounted for 53.62%, and the third and fourth grades accounted for 46.38%.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eMoreover, SPSS software was applied to explore possible common method bias through Harman’s single-factor test. Reportedly, common method bias did not affect the data and hence the results since less than 50% (31.555%) of the total variance was explained by one common factor (Huang \\u0026amp; Wang, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR14\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2023\\u003c/span\\u003e).\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eVariable measurement\\u003c/b\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eTeachers' caring behavior\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eThe caring behavior of teachers was gauged with the 14-item scale, borrowed from Lei et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e). The proposed scale contains three major dimensions, namely (1): conscientiousness (6 items, such as, “I can seriously complete the classroom teaching”); (2) supportiveness (5 items, such as, “I can give detailed answers to students' questions\\\"); and (3) inclusiveness (3 items, including, “When a student's viewpoint conflicts with mine, I respect their perspective\\\"). Consistently, students were instructed to rate the items on a 5-point Likert scale that ranged from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Besides this, Cronbach's α (0.852) for the overall scale exhibited good reliability, as showed the subscales of inclusiveness (0.835), supportiveness (0.743), and conscientiousness (0.851). Further, the KMO value stood at 0.877, while the Bartlett test P value was documented to be 0.0000. Lastly, the cumulative variance accounted for 58.036%; thereby, reflecting that the scale demonstrated high reliability and validity.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eAcademic self-efficacy\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eAcademic self-efficacy was estimated with the help of an 8-items scale adapted from Huang \\u0026amp; Wang (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR14\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2023\\u003c/span\\u003e). Prominently, this scale contains two main dimensions: (1) ability self-efficacy (4 items, e.g., “I believe I can execute all the learning tasks assigned by the teacher”); and (2) behavior self-efficacy (4 items, such as., “When I think regarding a certain problem, I can apply the knowledge I have learned prior to and after thinking”). Thereafter, students were warranted to rate the items on a 5-point Likert scale that also ranged from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Meanwhile, the Cronbach's α (0.804) for the overall scale reflected good reliability, as did the subscales of capability self-efficacy (0.708), inclusiveness (0.835), and behavior self-efficacy (0.736). Likewise, the KMO value was recorded to be 0.835, whereas the Bartlett test P value was reportedly 0.0000. Finally, the cumulative variance accounted for 56.630%; thus, confirming that the aforementioned scale carried high reliability and validity.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eAcademic achievement\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eExplicitly, academic achievement was weighed with the help of 3 items adapted from Zhang et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR42\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2022\\u003c/span\\u003e). Accordingly, college students were requested to rate the items on a five-point Likert scale that varied from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). For instance, one sample item was \\\"I will complete the learning task within the stipulated time period\\\". Additionally, Cronbach's α coefficient of the scale stood at 0.787, while the KMO value was 0.820. Similarly, the P value of the Bartlett test was reported to be 0.000, and the cumulative variance ratio was 54.292%; hence, indicating that the scale had high validity and reliability.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eCorrelation analysis\\u003c/b\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eTable\\u0026nbsp;\\u003cspan refid=\\\"Tab1\\\" class=\\\"InternalRef\\\"\\u003e1\\u003c/span\\u003e reports the results of descriptive statistics and correlation analyses, including the means, standard deviations (SDs), and inter-correlations between the studied variables. Expectedly, academic achievement showed significantly positive correlation with conscientiousness (γ = 0.541, p \\u0026lt; 0.05), supportiveness (γ = 0.471, p \\u0026lt; 0.05), academic ability self-efficacy (γ = 0.558, p \\u0026lt; 0.05), inclusiveness (γ = 0.308, p \\u0026lt; 0.05), and academic behavior self-efficacy (γ = 0.504, p \\u0026lt; 0.05).\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cdiv class=\\\"gridtable\\\"\\u003e\\u003cdiv align=\\\"left\\\" class=\\\"colspec\\\" colname=\\\"c1\\\" colnum=\\\"1\\\"\\u003e\\u003c/div\\u003e\\u003cdiv align=\\\"char\\\" char=\\\".\\\" class=\\\"colspec\\\" colname=\\\"c2\\\" colnum=\\\"2\\\"\\u003e\\u003c/div\\u003e\\u003cdiv align=\\\"char\\\" char=\\\".\\\" class=\\\"colspec\\\" colname=\\\"c3\\\" colnum=\\\"3\\\"\\u003e\\u003c/div\\u003e\\u003cdiv align=\\\"left\\\" class=\\\"colspec\\\" colname=\\\"c4\\\" colnum=\\\"4\\\"\\u003e\\u003c/div\\u003e\\u003cdiv align=\\\"left\\\" class=\\\"colspec\\\" colname=\\\"c5\\\" colnum=\\\"5\\\"\\u003e\\u003c/div\\u003e\\u003cdiv align=\\\"left\\\" class=\\\"colspec\\\" colname=\\\"c6\\\" colnum=\\\"6\\\"\\u003e\\u003c/div\\u003e\\u003cdiv align=\\\"left\\\" class=\\\"colspec\\\" colname=\\\"c7\\\" colnum=\\\"7\\\"\\u003e\\u003c/div\\u003e\\u003cdiv align=\\\"left\\\" class=\\\"colspec\\\" colname=\\\"c8\\\" colnum=\\\"8\\\"\\u003e\\u003c/div\\u003e\\u003cdiv align=\\\"char\\\" char=\\\".\\\" class=\\\"colspec\\\" colname=\\\"c9\\\" colnum=\\\"9\\\"\\u003e\\u003c/div\\u003e\\u003ctable float=\\\"Yes\\\" id=\\\"Tab1\\\" border=\\\"1\\\"\\u003e\\u003ccaption language=\\\"En\\\"\\u003e\\u003cdiv class=\\\"CaptionNumber\\\"\\u003eTable 1\\u003c/div\\u003e\\u003cdiv class=\\\"CaptionContent\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eResults of correlation analysis.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/div\\u003e\\u003c/caption\\u003e\\u003ccolgroup cols=\\\"9\\\"\\u003e\\u003c/colgroup\\u003e\\u003cthead\\u003e\\u003ctr\\u003e\\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c1\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/th\\u003e\\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c2\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eMean\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/th\\u003e\\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c3\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eSD\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/th\\u003e\\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c4\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/th\\u003e\\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c5\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e2\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/th\\u003e\\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c6\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e3\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/th\\u003e\\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c7\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e4\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/th\\u003e\\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c8\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/th\\u003e\\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c9\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/th\\u003e\\u003c/tr\\u003e\\u003c/thead\\u003e\\u003ctbody\\u003e\\u003ctr\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c1\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e1. Conscientiousness\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\" char=\\\".\\\" colname=\\\"c2\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e4.061\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\" char=\\\".\\\" colname=\\\"c3\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.555\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c4\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c5\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c6\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c7\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c8\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c9\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003c/tr\\u003e\\u003ctr\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c1\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e2. supportiveness\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\" char=\\\".\\\" colname=\\\"c2\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e4.153\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\" char=\\\".\\\" colname=\\\"c3\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.541\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c4\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.591\\u003csup\\u003e**\\u003c/sup\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c5\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c6\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c7\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c8\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c9\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003c/tr\\u003e\\u003ctr\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c1\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e3. Inclusiveness\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\" char=\\\".\\\" colname=\\\"c2\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e3.583\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\" char=\\\".\\\" colname=\\\"c3\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e1.069\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c4\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.223\\u003csup\\u003e**\\u003c/sup\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c5\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.327\\u003csup\\u003e**\\u003c/sup\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c6\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c7\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c8\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c9\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003c/tr\\u003e\\u003ctr\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c1\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e4. Academic ability self-efficacy\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\" char=\\\".\\\" colname=\\\"c2\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e4.177\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\" char=\\\".\\\" colname=\\\"c3\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.555\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c4\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.588\\u003csup\\u003e**\\u003c/sup\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c5\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.555\\u003csup\\u003e**\\u003c/sup\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c6\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.262\\u003csup\\u003e**\\u003c/sup\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c7\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c8\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c9\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003c/tr\\u003e\\u003ctr\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c1\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e5. Academic behavior self-efficacy\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\" char=\\\".\\\" colname=\\\"c2\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e4.073\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\" char=\\\".\\\" colname=\\\"c3\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.594\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c4\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.485\\u003csup\\u003e**\\u003c/sup\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c5\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.430\\u003csup\\u003e**\\u003c/sup\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c6\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.234\\u003csup\\u003e**\\u003c/sup\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c7\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.545\\u003csup\\u003e**\\u003c/sup\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c8\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c9\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003c/tr\\u003e\\u003ctr\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c1\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e6. Academic achievement\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\" char=\\\".\\\" colname=\\\"c2\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e4.318\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\" char=\\\".\\\" colname=\\\"c3\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.527\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c4\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.541\\u003csup\\u003e**\\u003c/sup\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c5\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.471\\u003csup\\u003e**\\u003c/sup\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c6\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.308\\u003csup\\u003e**\\u003c/sup\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c7\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.558\\u003csup\\u003e**\\u003c/sup\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colname=\\\"c8\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e0.504\\u003csup\\u003e**\\u003c/sup\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\" char=\\\".\\\" colname=\\\"c9\\\"\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003c/tr\\u003e\\u003c/tbody\\u003e\\u003ctfoot\\u003e\\u003ctr\\u003e\\u003ctd colspan=\\\"9\\\"\\u003eNote: \\u003cem\\u003eSD\\u003c/em\\u003e = standard deviation; **\\u003cem\\u003ep\\u003c/em\\u003e \\u0026lt; 0.01, *\\u003cem\\u003ep\\u003c/em\\u003e \\u0026lt; 0.05.\\u003c/td\\u003e\\u003c/tr\\u003e\\u003c/tfoot\\u003e\\u003c/table\\u003e\\u003c/div\\u003e\"},{\"header\":\"Results\",\"content\":\"\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eCalibration\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eData calibration in QCA analysis principally includes two main methods. On the one hand, the direct calibration method calibrates each variable through three anchor points determined directly; while, on the other hand, the second technique assigns values to data in combination with the actual distribution of samples, practical experience, or theoretical knowledge, which is referred to as the indirect calibration method (Ragin et al., \\u003cspan class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2008\\u003c/span\\u003e). Reportedly, all variables in this paper were estimated using a 5-point Likert scale, but since the samples were majorly derived in the form of self-reports, there may be certain subjective intentions. Therefore, 1, 3.5, and 5 cannot be mechanically chosen as the three anchor points that present the full non-membership threshold (0.05), crossover point (0.5), and null membership threshold (0.95) (Ragin et al., \\u003cspan class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2008\\u003c/span\\u003e). As a result, drawing on Jacobs and Cambr\\u0026eacute; (Jacobs \\u0026amp; Cambr\\u0026eacute;, \\u003cspan class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2019\\u003c/span\\u003e), the indirect calibration approach was implemented, and the \\u0026quot;percentile\\u0026quot; function in SPSS was employed to compute the values of 95%, 50%, and 5%. Meanwhile, the relevant results are illustrated in Table\\u0026nbsp;\\u003cspan class=\\\"InternalRef\\\"\\u003e2\\u003c/span\\u003e. Afterward, (x, n1, n2, n3) functions were calibrated in fsQCA3.0 software and applied to perform data calibration for the ananefrequency variable.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cdiv class=\\\"gridtable\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003ctable id=\\\"Tab2\\\" border=\\\"1\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003ccaption language=\\\"En\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cdiv class=\\\"CaptionNumber\\\"\\u003eTable 2\\u003c/div\\u003e\\n \\u003cdiv class=\\\"CaptionContent\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSpecific values of calibration anchor points of each variable\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/div\\u003e\\n \\u003c/caption\\u003e\\n \\u003cthead\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" colspan=\\\"2\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eFull non-membership\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ethreshold\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eCross over\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003epoint\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eFull membership\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ethreshold\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/thead\\u003e\\n \\u003ctbody\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" rowspan=\\\"5\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAntecedent variable\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eConscientiousness\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3.000\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e4.167\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e4.833\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSupportiveness\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3.200\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e4.200\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e4.800\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eInclusiveness\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.667\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e4.000\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e5.000\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAcademic ability self-efficacy\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3.000\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e4.250\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e5.000\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAcademic behavior self-efficacy\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3.000\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e4.250\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e5.000\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eResult variable\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAcademic achievement\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3.250\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e4.500\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e5.000\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tbody\\u003e\\n \\u003c/table\\u003e\\n\\u003c/div\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eNecessary analysis\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eNotably, no single condition can be independently used as an essential or sufficient condition to influence academic achievement when the adequacy consistency rate and necessity coverage rate of all anthems are lower than 0.9 (Jacobs \\u0026amp; Cambr\\u0026eacute;, \\u003cspan class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2019\\u003c/span\\u003e). In this scenario, there is a need to anticipate the configuration of multiple antecedent conditions. Correspondingly, the necessity test results of a single antecedent condition are depicted in Table\\u0026nbsp;\\u003cspan class=\\\"InternalRef\\\"\\u003e3\\u003c/span\\u003e. Evidently, there is no single antecedent condition with a sufficient consistency rate and necessity coverage rate higher than the 0.9 threshold. Based on this, configuration analysis can be undertaken in this study.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cdiv class=\\\"gridtable\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003ctable id=\\\"Tab3\\\" border=\\\"1\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003ccaption language=\\\"En\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cdiv class=\\\"CaptionNumber\\\"\\u003eTable 3\\u003c/div\\u003e\\n \\u003cdiv class=\\\"CaptionContent\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNecessity analysis results of antecedent conditions on outcome variables\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/div\\u003e\\n \\u003c/caption\\u003e\\n \\u003ctbody\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colspan=\\\"2\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAntecedent variable\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colspan=\\\"2\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eHigh academic achievement\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colspan=\\\"2\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNon-high academic achievement\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eConsistency\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eCoverage\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eConsistency\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eCoverage\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" rowspan=\\\"6\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eTeachers\\u0026apos;\\u0026nbsp;caring behavior\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eConscientiousness\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.797\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.777\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.576\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.590\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e~ Conscientiousness\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.579\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.566\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.782\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.801\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSupportiveness\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.817\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.729\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.603\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.564\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e~ Supportiveness\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.511\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.551\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.710\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.802\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eInclusiveness\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.580\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.539\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.752\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.732\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e~ Inclusiveness\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.711\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.733\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.526\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.568\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" rowspan=\\\"4\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAcademic self-efficacy\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAcademic ability self-efficacy\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.802\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.746\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.598\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.583\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e~ Academic ability self-efficacy\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.551\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.567\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.739\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.796\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAcademic behavior self-efficacy\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.736\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.769\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.543\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.596\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e~ Academic behavior self-efficacy\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.613\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.562\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.790\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.759\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tbody\\u003e\\n \\u003c/table\\u003e\\n\\u003c/div\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eSufficient analysis of the conditional configuration\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThe calibrated data were imported into the software for configuration, whereas the reduced solution, intermediate solution, and complex solution were obtained in this process. Furthermore, the simple solution and intermediate solution were nested and compared, in order to derive the final configuration result, namely: the 2 antecedent condition configurations of low academic achievement and 3 antecedent condition configurations of high academic achievement were obtained as a result (Table\\u0026nbsp;\\u003cspan class=\\\"InternalRef\\\"\\u003e4\\u003c/span\\u003e). Among them, the consistency of the 3 high academic achievement configurations (TIA, TIC, \\u0026amp; TIB) was documented to be 0.866, 0.903, \\u0026amp; 0.892, respectively. Additionally, the overall consistency was 0.846; thus, establishing that when the vast majority of cases were fulfilled, the three configurations also represented sufficient conditions for realizing high academic achievement. Moreover, the overall coverage rate stood at 0.620, which explains 62 percent of the high academic achievement. Similarly, the consistency of the two anthems of low academic achievement (NTIB \\u0026amp; NTIA) was 0.921 and 0.921, respectively, and the overall consistency was recorded to be 0.910, which also presented a sufficient condition for low academic achievement. Further, the overall coverage was reportedly 0.593, which explained 59.3 percent of the reasons behind low academic achievement. On the basis of derived results, fsQCA effectively identifies the 5 configurations of high/non-high academic achievement while displaying strong explanatory power.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cdiv class=\\\"gridtable\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cdiv align=\\\"left\\\" class=\\\"colspec\\\"\\u003e\\u003cbr\\u003e\\u003c/div\\u003e\\n \\u003ctable id=\\\"Tab4\\\" border=\\\"1\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003ccaption language=\\\"En\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cdiv class=\\\"CaptionNumber\\\"\\u003eTable 4\\u003c/div\\u003e\\n \\u003cdiv class=\\\"CaptionContent\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eConfigurations for high and non-high academic achievement in fsQCA.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/div\\u003e\\n \\u003c/caption\\u003e\\n \\u003cthead\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAntecedent variable\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" colspan=\\\"3\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eHigh academic achievement\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" colspan=\\\"2\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNon-high academic achievement\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eTIA\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eTIB\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eTIC\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNTIA\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNTIB\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/thead\\u003e\\n \\u003ctbody\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eConscientiousness\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e⚫\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e●\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e⮿\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e⮿\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSupportiveness\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e●\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e●\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e⮿\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eInclusiveness\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e⮿\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e⮿\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e⮿\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e●\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAcademic ability self-efficacy\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e●\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e●\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e⮿\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e⮿\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAcademic behavior self-efficacy\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e●\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e⚫\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e⮿\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e⮿\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eConsistency\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.866\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.892\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.903\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.921\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.921\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eRaw coverage\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.574\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.511\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.520\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.533\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.542\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eUnique coverage\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.081\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.019\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.027\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.051\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.060\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSolution consistency\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.846\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.910\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSolution coverage\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.620\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.593\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tbody\\u003e\\n \\u003ctfoot\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"6\\\"\\u003eNote: ● indicate the core conditions, ⚫ indicate the peripheral conditions, ⮿ indicate its absence, Blank spaces indicate that the dimension has no effect on the result.\\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tfoot\\u003e\\n \\u003c/table\\u003e\\n\\u003c/div\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eConfiguration analysis for high academic achievement\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThe TIA path can be termed the \\u0026quot;\\u0026nbsp;supportiveness-competence self-efficacy driven model\\u0026quot;, which stresses that the synergistic effect of teachers\\u0026apos; supportive behavior and academic competence self-efficacy improve the academic achievement of college students in the case of weak inclusive behavior (Huang \\u0026amp; Wang,2023). The aforementioned path indicates that it is hard and challenging to attain a high level of academic achievement, which warrants the support of teachers and the academic ability and self-efficacy of students (Chen \\u003cem\\u003eet al\\u003c/em\\u003e., 2022). On the one hand, the establishment of harmonious interactive affiliation between teachers and students enables enhancement of academic interest, enthusiasm, initiative, and sustainability (Luo\\u003cem\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;et al\\u003c/em\\u003e., 2023). Conversely, academic ability self-efficacy increases learning motivation, triggers the inner perception of college students, ensures their perseverance and ability to be competent for learning tasks, and realizes the learning goals with greater confidence, substantial capability, and more scientific approaches. As a consequence, given that the harmonious interaction mechanism between teachers and students is built and teachers extend students with assistance in academic activities and future planning, the low inclusive behavior of teachers augments the sense of competence and self-confidence in learning through the sense of academic ability self-efficacy, and stimulates the intrinsic learning motivation, initiative, and creativity of college students; hence, supplementing their academic achievement (Habieb \\u003cem\\u003eet al\\u003c/em\\u003e., 2013). Based on the aforementioned analysis, the following propositions are put forward in this research study:\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eEvidently, when teachers demonstrate supportive caring behavior, college students with academic ability and self-efficacy improve their academic achievement even if there is no inclusive behavior.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eIn addition, the TIB path can be referred to as the \\u0026quot;conscientiousness-supportiveness-behavioral self-efficacy driving model\\u0026quot;, which implies that under the teachers\\u0026apos; lack of inclusiveness, the collaborative configuration of teachers\\u0026apos; conscientiousness, academic behavior self-efficacy, and supportive caring behavior bolster the academic achievement of college students. Specifically, teacher care represents a crucial noble character, with the characteristics of morality, professionalism, and responsibility, aiming at maintaining connections, avoiding harm, and taking responsibility (Lei, \\u003cspan class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2014\\u003c/span\\u003e; Lei et al., \\u003cspan class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e). Certainly, conscientiousness not only reflects the completion of teaching tasks based on the curriculum syllabus but also assertion on content mastery and higher-order thinking, and emphasis on learning as the center, while concreting teaching innovation, utilizing various teaching methods and strategies to improve teaching and education effects, and laying the basis for high academic achievement (Lei, \\u003cspan class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2014\\u003c/span\\u003e). Furthermore, support as a further extension of teachers\\u0026apos; conscientiousness, serves as the core element of teachers\\u0026apos; caring behavior. Obviously, teachers\\u0026rsquo; conscientiousness not only reflects in teachers\\u0026apos; efforts to invest more time, effort, and energy to cement the relationship between teachers and students, paying adequate attention to students\\u0026apos; physical and mental health as well as academic issues but also manifests in selfless dedication to students in the shape of enthusiastic and prompt responses to students\\u0026apos; feedback (Huang \\u0026amp; Wang, \\u003cspan class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2023\\u003c/span\\u003e). As a result, college students shall not only possess more courage and confidence, and enhance their learning interest but also actively optimize and reflect on their learning approaches to complete their studies with high quality when teachers take responsibility, warm praise, sincerely advise, and offer more encouragement and support to educate students. In light of the above analysis, the following propositions are put forward in this paper:\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eCollege students with a sense of academic behavior self-efficacy improve their academic achievement even in case inclusive behavior is absent when teachers display conscientiousness and supportive caring behavior.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThe TIC path can be called the \\u0026quot;Conscientious-self-efficacy driving model\\u0026quot;, which holds that the collaborative configuration of teachers\\u0026rsquo; conscientiousness, academic behavior self-efficacy, and academic ability self-efficacy improve college students\\u0026apos; academic achievement, under the condition of teachers\\u0026rsquo; lack of inclusiveness. Specifically, caring essentially presents a sort of obligation and responsibility, while conscientiousness serves as the basic component of teachers\\u0026apos; caring behavior (Lei, \\u003cspan class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2014\\u003c/span\\u003e). On the one hand, teachers\\u0026apos; concern should be primarily based on the completion of most basic teaching tasks; aligned with this, conscientiousness offers the basic guarantee for college students to complete their studies (Lei et al., \\u003cspan class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e). On the other hand, teachers\\u0026apos; professionalism and role models, and their dedication to college students, make college students feel the teacher\\u0026apos;s positive attention to them in the process of education and teaching; thereby, exerting the positive emotional experience of being understood, respected, and supported by the teachers (Li et al., \\u003cspan class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2021\\u003c/span\\u003e), which further triggers high academic self-efficacy. Meanwhile, college students with high academic self-efficacy shall work harder. Students show more willingness to complete their studies with high quality and realize desired academic achievements, with stronger learning motivation and higher self-efficacy expectations (Bai et al., \\u003cspan class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2022\\u003c/span\\u003e). In other words, when students possess dual-dimensional self-efficacy, their academic achievements demonstrate a synergistic enhancement: sustained confidence in cognitive abilities synergizes with adaptive implementation of refined learning strategies, collectively driving substantial improvements in educational attainment. Parallel to the aforementioned research analysis, the following propositions are outlined in this research paper:\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eWhen teachers demonstrate conscientious caring behavior, college students with a sense of academic self-efficacy improve their academic achievement even when there is no inclusive behavior.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eConfiguration analysis for non-high academic achievement\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eIn particular, the proposed pathway is as follows: NTIA pathway: ~ conscientiousness\\u0026sube;~ supportiveness \\u0026sube;~ academic competence self-efficacy\\u0026sube;~ academic behavior self-efficacy. Accordingly, this pathway highlights that despite teacher inclusivity, high academic achievement shall be inhibited when there is a low academic self-efficacy of college and teachers\\u0026apos; conscientiousness and supportive caring behavior are absent. Since the teacher often cannot complete the teaching task seriously when the teacher\\u0026apos;s conscientiousness is lacking or at a low level As a consequence, the teaching work is irresponsible, the teaching method is backward, and it is difficult for college students to systematically obtain professional knowledge. In addition to this, teachers are not only less likely to spend more resources on the teaching process, but there is also less interaction between teachers and students and a lack of selfless dedication to students (Lee \\u0026amp; Yuen, \\u003cspan class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2019\\u003c/span\\u003e). At this point, the level of inclusivity is no longer crucial; the high inclusivity shall lead to teachers\\u0026rsquo; \\u0026quot;neglecting essential things\\u0026quot;; conversely, the level of inclusivity shall exhibit extremely low caring behavior by teachers, which shall also result in high-quality academic achievement being difficult to accomplish. Moreover, in the context of college students\\u0026apos; sense of self-efficacy, the lack of academic ability self-efficacy and academic behavior self-efficacy results in a lack of learning motivation and confidence, which further embeds the creation of high academic achievement.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eFurthermore, the NTIB path: ~ conscientiousness inclusivity\\u0026sube;~ academic competence self-efficacy\\u0026sube;~ academic behavior self-efficacy, indicates that when conscientious behaviors of teachers are absent and college students\\u0026apos; academic self-efficacy is low, teachers with highly inclusive caring behaviors cannot obtain high academic achievement, regardless of teachers\\u0026apos; supportive behaviors. In the meantime, inclusiveness presents an important dimension of teachers\\u0026apos; caring behavior, which warrants teachers to comprehend and respect students in the teaching process, care about their academic performance as well as their physical and mental health, and tolerate their mistakes and shortcomings. Although, when teachers only demonstrate inclusive behavior without executing the teaching task, it is only a kind of \\u0026quot;indulgence\\u0026quot; even when there is a high level of inclusiveness (Lei \\u0026amp; Li, \\u003cspan class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2018\\u003c/span\\u003e). Simultaneously, the lower the academic self-efficacy of college students is, the lower their motivation and effort, which shall exert an adverse impact on academic achievement.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eRobustness test\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eIn this study, the robustness test approach proposed by Zhang \\u0026amp; Du (\\u003cspan class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2019\\u003c/span\\u003e) was incorporated for reference. Primarily, quantile values of calibration data were changed, and anchors of 95%, 50%, and 5% were adopted, respectively. Subsequently, the PRI consistency threshold in necessity analysis is raised and 0.8 is adjusted to 0.9. Afterward, the sample frequency was increased and 1 was adjusted to 2. The results showed that only the overall consistency and coverage coefficient changed slightly after again passing the standard analysis procedure. Contrary to this, the combination of core conditions and auxiliary conditions of the reduced solution and the intermediate solution did not display potential change. Consequently, the research conclusion was declared robust.\\u003c/p\\u003e\"},{\"header\":\"Discussion\",\"content\":\"\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eTheoretical implications\\u003c/b\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eFirst, this research paper breaks through the analysis limitation of multifactor interdependence of academic achievement that has not been thoroughly explored in the extant literature (Lei et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e; Yang et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR39\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2016\\u003c/span\\u003e; Li et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR23\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2021\\u003c/span\\u003e; Ryan et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR2\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2022\\u003c/span\\u003e) while uncovering the complex causal mechanism of academic achievement improvement by resolving the bottleneck issue of academic achievement improvement. In light of the relevant studies, 5 antecedents influencing academic achievement are derived from the self-efficacy and teacher care theory. In addition, a research framework for studying the complex causal association of academic achievement is built, which lays a foundation for empirical analysis of the synergistic impact of various antecedents on academic achievement. Concurrently, this research article determines the comprehensive influence results of antecedent conditions matching each other while opening the \\\"black box\\\" of academic achievement improvement through configuration effect analysis, which is conducive to enriching and expanding the analysis on academic achievement.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eSecond, from the configuration perspective, this study in-depth analyzes the synergistic influence of teachers\\u0026rsquo; caring behavior and academic self-efficacy on academic achievement, which supports the application of fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis for academic achievement. Firstly, this paper extends the research object of the connection between the caring behavior of teachers and academic achievement from primary- and secondary schools to college students, in response to the suggestion by Yang et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR39\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2016\\u003c/span\\u003e). Contrarily, this study changes the driving model of academic achievement from a relatively isolated emphasis on students' own psychological characteristics and external factors to a collaborative focus on the students' own and the combined impact of multiple external factors, unlike existing studies that focus on examining the causal association between single or multiple factors (Lei et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e; Yang et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR39\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2016\\u003c/span\\u003e) and ignore the combined impact of external influences required for academic achievement and their own psychological characteristics. In the meantime, exploring the mechanism of teachers' caring behavior and college students' academic self-efficacy jointly driving academic achievement from the viewpoint of \\\"four new\\\" education in China is helpful to not only compensate for the restrictions of current literature in discovering the pre-factors of academic achievement at a single level but also enrich the application of fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (Lei et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e; Huang \\u0026amp; Wang, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR14\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2023\\u003c/span\\u003e).\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eThird, this research article effectively identifies the situational mechanism of different anthemic configurations to realize the same goal result; consequently, offering a novel perspective for further analyzing the mechanism of improvement in the academic achievement of college students. Reportedly, existing studies have carried out a preliminary discussion on the improvement of teachers' caring behavior and academic self-efficacy in academic achievement (Lei et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e), but the research conclusions of this paper are distinct from those of past studies. In this study, it is confirmed that teachers' caring behavior and academic self-efficacy exert different influences on academic achievement in the high configuration of academic achievement. As a result, the research conclusion facilitates compensate for the limitations of present studies, which emphasizes the net impact of single anthems on academic achievement while ignoring the complementary and synergistic correlation between various factors in several contexts; hence, extending a new channel to explain potential research differences.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eManagerial implications\\u003c/b\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eFirst, the notion of improving the academic achievement of college students should be changed to \\\"configuration coordination\\\" from \\\"directional optimization\\\". By elaborating that antecedent factors such as conscientiousness, inclusiveness, supportiveness, academic ability self-efficacy, and academic behavior self-efficacy do not present essential conditions for improving academic achievement, the coordination of internal and external psychological factors can be implemented to nurture college students' academic self-efficacy and teachers' caring behavior, in the context of teachers and students and from the perspective of configuration theory through the adaptation of antecedent conditions (Du et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR11\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2021\\u003c/span\\u003e); thereby, illuminating the differentiated cultivation and application of appropriate strategies for improvement in college students' academic achievement.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eSecond, due significance should be attached to the combination conditions of developing the configuration of academic achievement. Among different configurations of high academic achievement, supportiveness, conscientiousness, academic ability self-efficacy, and academic behavior self-efficacy are the core conditions for realizing academic achievement. Similarly, conscientiousness serves as the basis for improving academic achievement (Lei et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e), academic self-efficacy reflects the judgment and confident experience of college students' capability and performance to complete their studies, and supportiveness presents the key link for improving academic achievement (Cai \\u0026amp; Yang, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR6\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2019\\u003c/span\\u003e; Olivier et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR29\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2018\\u003c/span\\u003e). On the one hand, from the angle of teachers' caring behavior, universities and colleges need to integrate the caring behavior of teachers into the education and teaching process, make them devote themselves to teaching, be strict with themselves, fully cultivate and give play to teachers' caring behavior, enhance their professional spirit, strengthen their responsibility and education mission, and provide college students with help and supportiveness in study and practical situations. Further, teachers should establish communication mechanisms with college students and fully understand and respect the differences and diverse needs of the students. Additionally, colleges and universities should offer policy guarantees and systems for the cultivation of teachers' caring behavior. In order to improve the incentive mechanism and boost the enthusiasm and initiative of teachers' caring behavior; there is a need to cultivate the university culture of innovation, tolerance, dedication, dedication and competition; improve the performance evaluation mechanism and enhance the motivation of teachers' caring behavior through performance feedback; and establish a cultural atmosphere for the implementation of caring behavior (Lei et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e). On the other hand, from the academic self-efficacy perspective, self-efficacy denotes that college students establish a correct perception of learning and recognize the significance of learning, exhibit strong confidence and positive attitudes toward their learning ability, and assume they can complete the learning goals and tasks; thereby, highly recognizing the value of learning and surging learning input (Deng et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR9\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2022\\u003c/span\\u003e). Thus, teachers should not only adhere to the education narrative of being \\\"student-centered\\\" and \\\"people-oriented\\\", but actively communicate with students, enhance their confidence, encourage students to listen to and respect students' ideas, and cultivate the spirit of encountering difficulties but also enhance college students' self-efficacy, increase their learning input (Wang, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR37\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2023\\u003c/span\\u003e), stimulate their learning competence, and further accelerate the transformation of college students' learning input into output, in order to support students yield satisfactory academic achievements.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eThird, there is also due need to emphasize the significance of non-high academic achievement configuration. Primarily, the configuration path of high and non-high academic achievement is asymmetrical, and the opposite of the cause of non-high academic achievement is the cause of high academic achievement. Moreover, in order to improve academic achievement, it is essential to utilize configuration cognition to deeply comprehend the complex association between teachers' caring behavior and college students' sense of self-efficacy and to discover and grasp the core elements from multiple paths (Du et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR11\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2021\\u003c/span\\u003e). Meanwhile, this paper reports that the lack of academic self-efficacy and conscientiousness presents a critical reason behind the lack of academic achievement. Resultantly, on the one hand, it is both urgent and crucial for universities and colleges to strengthen the conscientious behavior of teachers. Further, there is not only a need to motivate teachers to concrete their sense of responsibility in education and teaching at the policy level but also to enhance their sense of dedication through training and learning (Semradova and Hubackova, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR34\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2014\\u003c/span\\u003e). On the other hand, it is also highly imperative to nurture the academic self-efficacy of college students (Deng et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR9\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2022\\u003c/span\\u003e). Consistently, teachers should extend more supportiveness and affiliations with college students, in order to encourage students to enhance their academic self-efficacy (Chen \\u0026amp; Ma, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR7\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2022\\u003c/span\\u003e). Besides, it is also imperative to guide college students to make correct attributions and help them analyze and address potential problems; support and guide college students to actively participate in learning activities, feel learning practices, carry out self-evaluations and others' evaluations, and uplift positive experiences.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eLimitations and future directions\\u003c/b\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eThere are also certain limitations associated with this study. Firstly, the employed research model does not include all potential factors that may influence academic achievement, such as student-teacher interaction\\u003csup\\u003e7\\u003c/sup\\u003e, family socioeconomic status(Huang \\u0026amp; Wang, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR14\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2023\\u003c/span\\u003e), and teacher emotional intelligence(Gao, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR12\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2022\\u003c/span\\u003e), therefore, further exploration is warranted in the future. Secondly, this research paper incorporates the fsQCA method to ascertain the multiple interactions of factors affecting academic achievement. Owing to the possible differences in the university types, college students shall attach different levels of significance to academic achievement. Hence, future research may distinguish different types of schools and education institutes, such as research universities and vocational institutions, and undertake comparative research to uncover the differences in paths for fostering the academic achievement of different types of college students.\\u003c/p\\u003e\"},{\"header\":\"Conclusions\",\"content\":\"\\u003cp\\u003eBased on the configuration perspective, this research paper incorporates the fsQCA method to discover the complex causal mechanism influencing academic achievement of college students by integrating 5 antecedents, namely: conscientiousness, inclusiveness, supportiveness, academic ability self-efficacy, and academic behavior self-efficacy. Accordingly, the relevant research conclusions are as follows:\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eFirst, conscientiousness, academic ability self-efficacy, academic behavior self-efficacy, supportiveness, and inclusivity are not the only compulsory conditions for high and non-high academic achievement. This means that a single anagen condition is not sufficient to fully reflect the possible causes behind the high and non-high academic achievement, while the net impact of anagen condition on academic achievement is only valid in certain circumstances. Notably, the academic achievement of college students is affected by several factors, which accords with the essence of set theory (Du \\u0026amp; Jia, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR10\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2017\\u003c/span\\u003e).\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eSecond, the academic achievement of college students is impacted by various factors (Lei et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e; Yang et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR39\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2016\\u003c/span\\u003e; Li et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR23\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2021\\u003c/span\\u003e; Ryan et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR2\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2022\\u003c/span\\u003e). Further, the proposed achievement displays the characteristics of common destination\\\" and \\\"multiple concurrency\\\". This research study indicated that there exist three main types of configurations that drive high academic achievement, which is summarized as the \\\"conscientious-supportiveness -behavior self-efficacy driven model\\\", \\\"conscientious-self-efficacy driven model\\\", and \\\" supportiveness-ability self-efficacy driven model\\\". Besides this, there also exist two driving paths for non-high academic achievement, whereas there is an asymmetric association with the driving path for high academic achievement (Gao, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR12\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2022\\u003c/span\\u003e).\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eThird, the reasonable match between teachers' academic self-efficacy and caring behavior plays an imperative role in improving the academic achievement of college students. Noticeably, \\\"teachers\\u0026rsquo; caring behavior and academic self-efficacy effectively explain academic achievement\\\" has been verified by Lei et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e), Yang et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR39\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2016\\u003c/span\\u003e), and Ryan et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR2\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2022\\u003c/span\\u003e), which is contrary to the structural equation model and traditional regression analysis employed in existing literature. In this study, the fsQCA method is adopted to further examine the synergistic influence between caring behavior and academic self-efficacy of teachers, which is supportive of both refining and expanding the anthems of academic achievement. Furthermore, the academic achievement of college students is not only closely associated with teachers' caring behavior but also inseparable from their own academic self-efficacy. In specific, the collaboration between teacher supportiveness and academic ability self-efficacy improves academic achievement when inclusive caring behavior is low; the matching of conscientiousness, academic behavior self-efficacy, and supportive caring behavior improves academic achievement when inclusive caring behavior is low. In addition to this, teachers exhibiting conscientious caring behavior and college students with high academic self-efficacy are able to yield high academic achievement.\\u003c/p\\u003e\"},{\"header\":\"Declarations\",\"content\":\"\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eAcknowledgements\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eWe would like to express our gratitude to the participants who took part in this study.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eAuthor contributions\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eCYT conceived the study, drafted the manuscript, and took responsibility for the manuscript as a whole. YZS provided advice on study design and supervised the data collection. FJ and WMC participated in data col\\u0026shy;lection and data analysis. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eFunding\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThis study received funding from\\u0026nbsp;the teaching research project of Hebei Province \\u0026quot;Research on the Ideological and Political Evaluation System of Financial Major Courses in Colleges and Universities Based on CIPP Model\\u0026quot; (2023GJJG111)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eData availability\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThe datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eEthical approval\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThis study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Ethics Committee of Hebei Agricultural University (No 10/2024).\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eInformed consent\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eInformed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eConsent for publication\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eNo applicable.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eCompeting interests\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eAll authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.\\u003c/p\\u003e\"},{\"header\":\"References\",\"content\":\"\\u003col\\u003e\\n\\u003cli\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eAl-Rofo, M.\\u003c/strong\\u003e The dimensions that affect the students\\u0026apos; 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Taking 276 college students as samples, this study used the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis method to explore the linkage effect of 5 antecedents on college students' academic achievement from the two aspects of teachers' caring behavior and academic efficacy. The results show that conscientiousness, supportiveness, inclusiveness, academic ability efficacy and academic behavior efficacy are not necessary conditions for the high or nonhigh academic achievement, and single anthems have weak explanatory power for the academic achievement. There are three ways to drive college students' academic achievement, namely, the supportiveness-ability efficacy driving model, the conscientiousness-supportiveness-behavior efficacy driving model, and the conscientiousness-efficacy driving model. There are two paths leading to nonhigh academic achievement, and they are asymmetrical with the path of academic achievement improvement. By using the fsQCA method, this study contributes to the related literature with an investigation of the complex causal relationship between teachers' caring behavior, academic efficacy, and academic achievements, providing a theoretical foundation and practical recommendations for enhancing the academic performance of university students.\\u003c/p\\u003e\",\"manuscriptTitle\":\"Beyond linear effects: Synergistic Effects of Teacher Caring and Academic Self-Efficacy on Academic Achievement—A Nonlinear fsQCA Study of Chinese Undergraduates\",\"msid\":\"\",\"msnumber\":\"\",\"nonDraftVersions\":[{\"code\":1,\"date\":\"2025-09-05 12:02:15\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7015083/v1\",\"editorialEvents\":[{\"type\":\"communityComments\",\"content\":0},{\"type\":\"editorInvitedReview\",\"content\":\"\",\"date\":\"2025-09-05T02:19:08+00:00\",\"index\":\"hide\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"reviewerAgreed\",\"content\":\"154271375173401263809213405934670684336\",\"date\":\"2025-08-30T13:11:23+00:00\",\"index\":\"hide\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"reviewersInvited\",\"content\":\"\",\"date\":\"2025-08-29T10:30:13+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"editorInvited\",\"content\":\"\",\"date\":\"2025-07-23T15:59:57+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"editorAssigned\",\"content\":\"\",\"date\":\"2025-07-23T15:55:51+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"checksComplete\",\"content\":\"\",\"date\":\"2025-07-20T08:40:45+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"submitted\",\"content\":\"BMC Psychology\",\"date\":\"2025-07-20T08:37:10+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"}],\"status\":\"published\",\"journal\":{\"display\":true,\"email\":\"info@researchsquare.com\",\"identity\":\"bmc-psychology\",\"isNatureJournal\":false,\"hasQc\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"externalIdentity\":\"psyo\",\"sideBox\":\"Learn more about [BMC Psychology](http://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/)\",\"snPcode\":\"\",\"submissionUrl\":\"\",\"title\":\"BMC Psychology\",\"twitterHandle\":\"BMC_series\",\"acdcEnabled\":true,\"dfaEnabled\":true,\"editorialSystem\":\"stoa\",\"reportingPortfolio\":\"BMC Series\",\"inReviewEnabled\":true,\"inReviewRevisionsEnabled\":true}}],\"origin\":\"\",\"ownerIdentity\":\"b2eba0c4-4e7b-495b-abd5-bee242dd2e55\",\"owner\":[],\"postedDate\":\"September 5th, 2025\",\"published\":true,\"recentEditorialEvents\":[],\"rejectedJournal\":[],\"revision\":\"\",\"amendment\":\"\",\"status\":\"under-review\",\"subjectAreas\":[],\"tags\":[],\"updatedAt\":\"2025-09-05T12:02:15+00:00\",\"versionOfRecord\":[],\"versionCreatedAt\":\"2025-09-05 12:02:15\",\"video\":\"\",\"vorDoi\":\"\",\"vorDoiUrl\":\"\",\"workflowStages\":[]},\"version\":\"v1\",\"identity\":\"rs-7015083\",\"journalConfig\":\"researchsquare\"},\"__N_SSP\":true},\"page\":\"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]\",\"query\":{\"redirect\":\"/article/rs-7015083\",\"identity\":\"rs-7015083\",\"version\":[\"v1\"]},\"buildId\":\"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7\",\"isFallback\":false,\"isExperimentalCompile\":false,\"dynamicIds\":[84888],\"gssp\":true,\"scriptLoader\":[]}","source_license":"CC-BY-4.0","license_restricted":false}