Flexibility, Sustainability, and Online Academic Performance: A Mediational Analysis of Autonomy and Self-Regulation

The objective of this research was to analyse the indirect effect of the flexibility and adaptability of the educational environment on the evaluation of academic performance, considering the mediating role of student autonomy in learning and the autonomous management of time and resources. A quantitative approach with a non-experimental, cross-sectional design was used. The sample consisted of 738 pre-university students from a public university in Arequipa, Peru. The instrument was designed for this study, undergoing a rigorous process that included exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, as well as two preliminary tests to adjust the variables and items. Data collection took place between January and April 2025, in face-to-face sessions where participants accessed the online questionnaire after providing their informed consent. The most relevant result revealed that student autonomy in learning had a positive and significant mediating effect on the relationship between flexibility, sustainability, and the evaluation of academic performance. In contrast, time and resource management showed an adverse mediating effect. It is concluded that self-regulatory skills, particularly learning autonomy, are crucial for enhancing academic performance in flexible and sustainable virtual environments and should therefore be promoted through effective pedagogical design.