ArticleBMC psychology2026
Associations between teacher-student relationships and EFL achievement: a chain mediating model of EFL-learning grit and behavioral engagement.
Article in BMC psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundGuided by Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, particularly the process-person-context-time (PPCT) model, this study examined whether teacher-student relationships (TSR), conceptualized as a classroom-context factor, were associated with English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) achievement through EFL-learning grit as a person-level motivational resource and behavioral engagement as a proximal learning process. Evidence for this integrated mechanism remains limited in Chinese secondary EFL settings.
methodsParticipants were 718 Grade 7-8 EFL learners in Chinese secondary schools. Using domain-specific measures and standardized municipal English test scores, we tested a serial mediation model with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) while controlling for age, gender, and socio-economic status (SES).
resultsTSR was positively associated with EFL-learning grit and behavioral engagement. EFL-learning grit was positively associated with behavioral engagement, and behavioral engagement was positively associated with EFL achievement. Indirect effects supported mediation via behavioral engagement and through the serial pathway (TSR→ grit→ behavioral engagement→ EFL achievement), whereas the grit-only indirect pathway was not significant.
conclusionThis study contributes to EFL and educational psychology research by integrating contextual, personal, and process factors within a PPCT-informed model, by using domain-specific constructs and an objective achievement indicator, and by showing that TSR is associated with achievement primarily through engagement-related processes rather than through a direct pathway. The findings extend evidence from Chinese secondary EFL classrooms and suggest that relationship-centered teaching practices that strengthen perseverance and sustained participation may support achievement, although causal inferences remain limited.
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