The influence of campus learning environment on academic burnout among Chinese college students in Sichuan

Abstract

  Background: The first year of college is a significant challenge for students. Prior research has focused on psychological distress and academic burnout among students in health-related disciplines. This study examined the relationship between first-year students' reported satisfaction with the campus learning environment and academic burnout, as well as differences across majors. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted. Data on campus environment satisfaction and academic burnout were collected from 274 first-year students across majors at two universities in Sichuan Province, China. Results: Overall burnout levels were moderate, with nursing students scoring the lowest and students in economics and management scoring the highest. Male students scored significantly higher on cynicism and reduced academic efficacy. Satisfaction with the learning environment was a significant negative predictor of academic burnout. Significant differences were observed across disciplines in both academic burnout and satisfaction with the learning environment. Conclusion: The learning environment positively influences reductions in academic burnout, and intervention strategies should be tailored to specific majors. Future research should adopt a longitudinal design and include more institutions to improve causal inference and the generalizability of findings.