ArticleBMC medical education2026
The impact of digital teaching on learning burnout in college students: the moderating role of self-efficacy and the mediating effect of learning adaptability.
Article in BMC medical education, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- AI information encounters and university students' digital burnout: the mediating role of cognitive flexibility and the moderating effect of AI learning trust.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- How digital mismatch leads to digital burnout among grassroots public servants in China: the moderating role of leadership care and organizational incentives.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionThe rapid adoption of digital teaching has transformed higher education, offering both flexibility and accessibility, but also raising concerns about its potential impact on the mental health of students and learning burnout. In this study, we investigated the potential effect of digital teaching on learning burnout in college students, with specific focus on the mediating role of learning adaptability and the moderating role of self-efficacy.
methodsThe study population was selected using cluster sampling from the entire cohort of first-year medical students, resulting in a sample of 529 participants. Respondents completed a questionnaire monthly throughout the 12-month follow-up period to analyze the transition from traditional to digital teaching. Regression analysis was applied to investigate the impact of digital teaching on learning burnout, as well as the mediating role of learning adaptability and the moderating role of self-efficacy. Data were collected every month, including self-reported measures relating to burnout, adaptability and self-efficacy.
resultsDigital teaching significantly increased learning burnout (regression coefficient: 0.042, P < 0.01); the contributing factors including increased cognitive demands and reduced social interactions. Learning adaptability mediated this relationship, as higher adaptability mitigated burnout (-1.835, P < 0.01). Finally, self-efficacy moderated the relationship between digital teaching and burnout; students with higher levels of self-efficacy experienced less burnout (-0.062, P < 0.05).
conclusionDigital teaching presents both challenges and opportunities, increasing learning burnout while fostering adaptability. Enhancing learning adaptability and self-efficacy can mitigate the adverse effects of digital teaching. Improvements in students’ reduced learning ability, decreased learning efficiency, and lack of interest in learning (-1.835). These findings suggest that educators and policymakers should modularize the curriculum and incrementally design instructional tasks. These methods are expected to enhance students’ self-efficacy and sense of mastery, with the goal of preventing learning burnout in digital environments.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.