Background <p>Although prior research has explored the impact of fear of negative evaluation on students’ academic motivation, limited attention has been given to identifying potential intermediary mechanisms explaining this relationship. This study aims to uncover how academic self-efficacy and self-regulated learning skills work in sequence as mediating variables between adolescents’ fear of being negatively evaluated and their educational drive.</p> Methods <p>This correlational study included a sample of 1,000 adolescents (58.8% female) aged 14–15 years and was conducted via self-report screening tools. After the data cleaning process, preliminary analyses and descriptive statistics were conducted. To test Hypothesis 1, the Pearson product‒moment correlation was calculated, and to test Hypothesis 2, structural equation modeling was chosen to test the theoretical model examined in the study.</p> Results <p>Higher levels of fear of negative evaluation were correlated with lower academic motivation (<i>r</i>=-.51). This relationship was partly explained by the influence of self-efficacy and self-regulated learning, which sequentially mediated the link between fear of negative evaluation and academic motivation. Perceived academic self-efficacy has a stronger mediating effect.</p> Conclusions <p>As a result, the significant effect of fear of negative evaluation on academic motivation remained significant even though it decreased when the mediating variables were included in the model. These findings suggest that fear of negative evaluation may play an important role in academic motivation, although further research is needed to clarify the causal mechanisms involved. It is recommended that program studies be carried out to reduce the fear of negative evaluation, that designed teaching environments be created, and that measurement and evaluation methods be used to minimize this anxiety.</p>