Amidst the rapid advancements in information technology, especially with the pandemic serving as a momentous catalyst since 2020, online learning has emerged as a widely accepted and standardized mode for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education. Given the pivotal roles of teachers and learners as the two major participants in the learning process, teacher support, learning engagement and learners’ self-efficacy in online learning are crucial factors that cannot be overlooked. Despite the widely acknowledged importance of teacher support and self-efficacy as significant predictors of students’ learning engagement, there remains a notable dearth of profound investigations into the interconnection between teacher support, academic self-efficacy and online learning engagement in the academic context of EFL learning. This study investigates the relationship between perceived teacher support and online learning engagement among undergraduate EFL learners, examining the mediating role of academic self-efficacy in this context. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the study encompassed 530 undergraduate EFL learners as participants. The Structural equation modeling analysis using the AMOS 23.0 found that perceived teacher support positively predicts EFL learners’ online learning engagement. Moreover, academic self-efficacy emerges as a significant mediator in the relationship between perceived teacher support and online learning engagement. These insights offer valuable guidance for EFL teachers on how to enhance college EFL learners’ online learning engagement by fostering their perception of teacher support and strengthening their academic self-efficacy.
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