The number of Indonesian students in higher education has been increasing rapidly. However, many Indonesian university students report experiencing mental distress. Research on student wellbeing found that self-compassion (i.e., being kind towards oneself in challenging times) and academic engagement (i.e., a commitment and purposeful effort toward study) are essential to students’ mental wellbeing. With the present study, we aimed to assess the mental wellbeing of Indonesian students. A convenience sample of 156 Indonesian students completed self-report measures on mental wellbeing, self-compassion and academic engagement (consisting of vigour, dedication and absorption). To contextualise their mental wellbeing, data from Indonesian students were compared with those from 145 UK students using Welch t-tests. Correlation, regression and mediation analyses were then performed to examine the relationships among these variables. Indonesian students had higher levels of self-compassion and absorption and a lower level of dedication than UK students. Self-compassion and academic engagement explained 36% of variance in mental wellbeing. Self-compassion and vigour were identified as significant predictors of mental wellbeing, whereas self-compassion was the strongest predictor. Lastly, vigour did not mediate the pathway from self-compassion to mental wellbeing. Interventions to support self-compassion and academic engagement, especially vigour, in Indonesian students are recommended to support their mental wellbeing.

Academic motivation is an important construct for university students, associated with student wellbeing and academic performance. Students who are motivated tend to feel and perform well. Self-compassion, that is kindness and understanding towards oneself in difficult times, and resilience, an ability to bounce back from difficulties, are also associated with student wellbeing and academic achievement. However, how these variables are related to each other has not been evaluated in Indonesian university students. Indonesian higher education has rapidly developed, focusing on student achievement while their wellbeing suffers. Understanding how academic motivation is linked with self-compassion and resilience can inform an effective way to augment their motivation. Accordingly, this cross-sectional study evaluated the relationship among these three variables. An opportunity sample of 156 students in Indonesia completed measures about those three constructs. Correlation, regression and moderation analyses were used. Intrinsic motivation was positively associated with extrinsic motivation and resilience. Amotivation was negatively associated with self-compassion and resilience. Self-compassion was positively associated with resilience. Both self-compassion and resilience predicted all three types of motivation apart from self-compassion for intrinsic motivation. Lastly, self-compassion nor resilience moderated the pathway from extrinsic motivation to intrinsic motivation. Resilience interventions are recommended for Indonesian students to maintain intrinsic motivation. Our findings will help educators and wellbeing staff to identify helpful ways to support healthful motivation in this student population that is undergoing drastic changes.

Academic burnout among madrasah students remains insufficiently examined, especially through participatory and culturally responsive approaches. Existing research tends to emphasize quantitative measurement or teacher-centered interventions. This study seeks to address this gap by integrating photovoice within a Participatory Action Research (PAR) framework and grounding it in the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM) to explore and mitigate academic burnout. The research involved collaboration with two Guidance and Counseling teachers and ten students at a Madrasah Tsanawiyah in Pekanbaru. Data were collected through reflective writing, semi-structured interviews, photo elicitation, and participatory observation, and analyzed using thematic coding with methodological triangulation. The findings demonstrate that photovoice effectively exposes latent academic stress, strengthens teachers’ reflective practice, and promotes meaningful student engagement in counseling processes. Visual narratives—such as torn notebooks, clocks, and fatigue-related imagery—functioned as symbolic expressions of burnout that facilitated empathetic dialogue and informed more precise intervention strategies. This study contributes a novel model of student-led visual diagnostic practice within Islamic school counseling, aligned with TQM’s continuous improvement framework. The findings highlight the value of photovoice as a culturally relevant and sustainable method for strengthening student-centered burnout prevention and improving the overall quality of guidance and counseling services in madrasah settings.