General well-being is a positive evaluation of one’s mental health, which is an important topic in mental health. General well-being is fundamental to the positive development of young people. A thorough understanding of the factors that influence happiness have not yet been developed for students at normal universities in Ningxia Province in China. This study examined the mediation effects of time management on the relationship between achievement motivation, self-efficacy, and general well-being among students at normal universities in Ningxia Province in China. Using a random sampling, 163 participants (68 males and 95 females) completed the Achievement Motivation Scale (AMS), General Self-efficacy Scale (GSES), Time Management Questionnaire (TMQ) and General Well-being Scale (GWBS). Achievement motivation, self-efficacy, and time management were positively correlated with general well-being. The mediation effects of time management on the relationships between achievement motivation, self-efficacy, and general wellbeing (0.169 and 0.447) were demonstrated. These results add to the nuanced relationship between self-efficacy, achievement motivation, and general well-being. According to the Achievement Motivation Theory and the Self-efficacy Theory, this study reveals the role of achievement motivation, self-efficacy on general well-being and the mediating effect of time management in the relationship between achievement motivation, self-efficacy, and general well-being. According to the findings, the school can carry out a series of lectures and tutoring activities to enhance students’ achievement motivation, self-efficacy, time management, and general well-being.

This study investigated how academic values shape academic engagement among Chinese college students by examining the mediating roles of academic self-efficacy, autonomous motivation, and controlled motivation. Using a quantitative design with random sampling, valid data were collected from 1,110 students who completed four validated instruments: the College Students’ Academic Values Questionnaire, the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, the Academic Motivation Questionnaire, and the Academic Engagement Scale. Structural equation modeling was used to test a serial mediation model. The findings revealed that academic self-efficacy, autonomous motivation, and controlled motivation mediated the relationship between academic values and academic engagement. Moreover, academic self-efficacy and both motivational types formed significant serial mediation pathways that explain how values influence engagement. Notably, the mediation pathways involving controlled motivation produced negative indirect effects, suggesting that controlled motivation may weaken students’ academic engagement.