Whether and How Adolescents’ Perceived Teacher-Student Relationship Counts for Their Math Achievement?

Abstract

As a critical aspect of classroom environment, teacher-student relationship (TSR) has been demonstrated to present close associations with students’ learning outcomes. In math, however, previous studies have yielded mixed results, especially in the secondary school stage. With a large-scale sample of 158156 eighth graders from 1097 schools in five provinces of China, the present study analyzed the relational magnitude and underlying mechanism of the interplay of TSR with student achievement in math, considering the mediating effects of math interest and self-efficacy in the Chinese cultural context. The results indicated that with gender controlled, (1) TSR was significantly and positively associated with students’ math achievement; (2) both math interest and self-efficacy significantly mediated the TSR-math achievement relationship; (3) math interest and then self-efficacy serially mediated the TSR-math achievement relationship. The findings highlight the significance of supportive TSR for student learning and development, in terms of both academic achievement and motivations (math interest and self-efficacy). Besides, the Eastern mode of teacher-student interaction could afford a reference for the further establishment of TSR globally.

Document Type: Original article

Cited as:

Lu, H., & Zhao, Y. Q. (2025). Whether and how adolescents’ perceived teacher-student relationship counts for their math achievement? Evidence based on a large-scale investigation in the Chinese context Education andLifelong Development Research, 2(2), 52-62. https://doi.org/10.46690/elder.2025.02.01

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