Modeling Gender Differences in Psychological Well-Being, Self-Regulation, and Teacher Support Among Ethiopian EFL Students

Abstract

Teacher support in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context is considered a crucial element in students' academic and psychological performance. Despite its relevance, relatively few studies have examined how teacher support interacts with learners' self-regulation to influence mental health, especially in Ethiopian higher education. Therefore, this paper aimed at investigating the relationships among perceived teacher support, self-regulation, and psychological well-being among Ethiopian EFL students and exploring possible gender-based differences. A correlational research design was followed, and data were gathered through standardized self-report questionnaires from 400 second and third-year English majors randomly selected from Jimma, Hawassa, and Wolkite Universities. In addition, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed to establish construct validity and reliability, while common method bias was tested using Harman's one-factor test, confirming that no significant common method bias was present. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis indicated that perceived teacher support positively predicted psychological well-being and self-regulation. Self-regulation partially mediated the effects of teacher support on well-being. Multi-group analysis showed acceptable RMSEA and SRMR values but comparatively weak CFI and TLI values. The small changes in CFI across the increasingly constrained models provided limited support for approximate measurement invariance across gender; therefore, the findings should be interpreted cautiously.