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The learning process of pre-service physical education teachers is a crucial issue in the field of PE teacher education. Therefore, pre-service PE teachers' academic learning plays an important role in their expertise cultivation and career development. Purposes: This study examined whether preservice PE teachers' self-efficacy, other-efficacy, and relation-inferred efficacy could predict their engagement in academic learning based on the tripartite efficacy beliefs model proposed by Lent and Lopez (2002). The mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between other-efficacy or relation-inferred efficacy and engagement in academic learning was also examined. Methods: Data were collected from a sample of 316 pre-service PE teachers (60.76% male, 39.24% female; mean age 20.45 years). The teachers' perceptions of self-efficacy, other-efficacy, relation-inferred efficacy, and engagement in academic learning were measured using different validated questionnaires. Structural equation modeling with maximum likelihood estimation was used for data analysis. Results: Self-efficacy, other-efficacy, and relation-inferred efficacy of pre-service PE teachers could positively predict their engagement in academic learning. The relationship between relation-inferred efficacy and engagement in academic learning was mediated by self-efficacy. However, the hypothesis that pre-service PE teachers' self-efficacy would play a mediating role in the relationship between other-efficacy and engagement in academic learning was not supported. Conclusions: This study confirmed the effects of different efficacy beliefs on pre-service PE teachers' academic learning based on the tripartite efficacy beliefs model, which narrowed the gap by using only self-efficacy to explain the learning process. The findings suggest that interactive strategies could be introduced to teacher training or self-learning groups to promote other-efficacy and relation-inferred efficacy of pre-service PE teachers and further advance their engagement in academic learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]