Work

Linking social–emotional competence, learning engagement, and teacher–student relationship to academic achievement: a structural equation model approach

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Introduction: Relationships play an essential role in learning, particularly in peer relationships and the teacher-student relationship. Social-emotional competence, learning engagement, and teacher-student relationship can directly influence students' academic achievement. Methods: This study examines the relationship among these fac¬tors and explores how they collectively link to the engagement and academic achievement of 1,528 pre-service teachers in a normal university through Social Construction Theory. We analyzed the data using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Results: Findings revealed that all dimensions of social-emotional competence (self-relationship, interpersonal relationship, collective relationship, and responsible decision making) and the teacher-student relationship are associated with learning engagement. Two dimensions of social-emotional competence, collective relationship and responsible decision-making, are significantly correlated to academic achievement. Discussion: This study offers guidance and recommendations for pre-service teachers to enhance their overall growth in engagement and learning outcomes.

Source: Frontiers in Psychology

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1756766

Authors: Hanxue Li, Shuai Ma, Yan Liu

Institutions: Hunan First Normal University, Texas A&M University

Language: English

Topic: Early Childhood Education and Development

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801