Demystifying the relationship between burnout, enjoyment and buoyancy and their impacts on academic achievement

In recent years, increasing attention has been given to the role of emotional and psychological factors in shaping students’ academic outcomes. Among these factors, academic burnout, enjoyment, and academic buoyancy have emerged as key constructs influencing engagement and performance. Grounded in positive psychology and Control-Value Theory (CVT), this study adopts a quantitative research design. Data from 640 students were collected using validated self-report instruments measuring academic burnout, learning enjoyment, and academic buoyancy, while academic achievement was represented by students’ course grades. Statistical analyses, including descriptive and correlation, were conducted to explore the profiles and relationships. In addition, a structural equation model was constructed to investigate the inner and deeper correlations among these variables.

The findings reveal that academic burnout is negatively associated with academic achievement, whereas enjoyment and academic buoyancy are positively related to performance. Academic buoyancy appears to mitigate the adverse effects of burnout. These results highlight the importance of emotional well-being and resilience in academic success. This study provides an integrated perspective on both negative and positive emotional factors in education and offers pedagogical implications. Reducing burnout, fostering enjoyment in learning, and strengthening students’ capacity to cope with everyday academic setbacks may contribute to improved academic outcomes and overall well-being.