BackgroundSelf-directed learning ability is a core competence that enables students to enhance their academic achievement, clinical competence, and professional growth in nursing education. Super-leadership—as a strategy to develop the learning process—promotes students’ self-leadership, which, in turn, enhances perceived self-efficacy perception and ultimately facilitates self-directed learning ability. Few studies have rigorously determined the influences of super-leadership, self-leadership, and academic self-efficacy perceptions on self-directed learning ability in online nursing education during the COVID-19 pandemic.ObjectivesTo determine the mediating effects of self-leadership and self-efficacy perceptions in the relationship between perceived super-leadership and self-directed learning ability.DesignThis study was conducted using a quantitative mediation analysis design.ParticipantsOne hundred and fifty nursing students were conveniently recruited from two nursing colleges offering the same four-year nursing degree program.MethodsParticipants completed a super-leadership scale, a self-leadership scale, an academic self-efficacy scale, and a self-directed learning ability inventory. Data were analyzed with Pearson's correlations, regression analysis, Sobel's test, and Hayes's Process Macro using the bootstrap method.ResultsSelf-directed learning ability was correlated with perceived super-leadership (r= .47,p< .001), self-leadership (r= 0.69,p< .001), and academic self-efficacy (r= 0.29,p< .001). Super-leadership influenced self-leadership (β= 0.42,p< .001), academic self-efficacy (β= 0.22,p= .002), and self-directed learning ability (β= 0.36,p< .001). Self-leadership and academic self-efficacy mediated the relationship between super-leadership and self-directed learning ability (β= .42,p< .001;β= 0.35,p< .001) (z= 1.936,p= .026 by Sobel test).ConclusionLearning strategies to enhance self-directed learning ability are required for successful super-leadership to boost self-leadership and academic self-efficacy perceptions among nursing students in the online, asynchronous COVID-19 educational environment. Therefore, this study's empirical evidence on integrating super-leadership with self-leadership and academic self-efficacy has practical and future research implications in terms of attaining core academic goals for nursing students.