Iranian Journal of Educational Research

en Predicting Academic Burnout Based on Learning Culture: Mediating Role of Self-Esteem Among Students of Islamic Azad University Educational Psychology پژوهشي Original <div style="text-align: justify;">Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship between learning culture and academic burnout among students of Islamic Azad University, Bandar Lengeh Branch, with a particular focus on the mediating role of self-esteem. Methods: This descriptive-correlational study employed structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population included all 1,480 students enrolled at Islamic Azad University, Bandar Lengeh Branch, during the 2025–2026 academic year. Using proportional stratified random sampling, 306 students (172 females and 134 males) were selected. Data were collected using the Learning Culture Questionnaire (LCQ), the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Student Survey (MBI-SS), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Data analysis was conducted using Pearson correlation and SEM with SPSS-27 and AMOS-24. Results: The findings showed that learning culture directly and negatively predicted academic burnout (<math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><semantics><mrow><mi>p</mi><mo><</mo><mn>0.05</mn></mrow><annotation encoding="application/x-tex"></annotation></semantics></math>). Learning culture also directly and positively predicted self-esteem (<math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><semantics><mrow><mi>p</mi><mo><</mo><mn>0.05</mn></mrow><annotation encoding="application/x-tex"></annotation></semantics></math>). In addition, self-esteem directly and negatively predicted academic burnout (<math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><semantics><mrow><mi>p</mi><mo><</mo><mn>0.05</mn></mrow><annotation encoding="application/x-tex"></annotation></semantics></math>). The results further indicated that self-esteem significantly mediated the relationship between learning culture and academic burnout. Conclusions: The findings suggest that a positive and constructive learning culture can reduce students’ academic burnout both directly and indirectly through enhancing self-esteem. Therefore, university administrators and educators should prioritize strategies aimed at strengthening learning culture and implementing programs that promote students’ self-esteem.</div> Academic Burnout, Learning Culture, Self-Esteem, Students, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Lengeh. 0 0 http://ijer.hormozgan.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-478-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Fateme Esfandiyari Baghbemidi fateme.esfaniyari@iau.ir 0000-0001-7110-5983 Yes Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, BL.C., Islamic Azad University, Bandar Lengeh, Iran