AIMS: To understand the status quo of self-directed learning ability, self-efficacy and academic burnout of junior nursing college students, since the closed management mode was implemented during COVID-19 pandemic disease.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.
METHODS: Participants came from 3,051 junior nursing college students of a college in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, China. Data were collected by online questionnaire and analysed by SPSS25.0 (a statistical package for social science) and AMOS24.0 software.
RESULTS: High self-directed learning ability and self-efficacy were related to low levels of academic burnout (p < .01). In addition, the analysis of mediation effect indicated that the influence of self-directed learning ability on academic burnout was not mediated by self-efficacy.