Predicting students’ Social Competence Based on Teacher–Student Relationship and Sense of School Belonging: The Mediating Role of Behavioral Emotion Regulation

Abstract :

The present study aimed to predict students’ social competence based on teacher–student relationship and sense of school belonging with the mediating role of behavioral emotional regulation. The statistical population included all students of the upper secondary school in Shiraz during the academic year 2024–2025, from which 300 participants were selected through multistage cluster sampling. The instruments used were the Teacher–Student Relationship Questionnaire (Murray & Zvoch, 2011), the School Belonging Scale (Beaty & Brew, 2005), the behavioral emotional regulation Questionnaire (Kraaij & Garnfesky, 2019), and the Social Competence Scale (Felner et al., 1995). Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and bootstrap test via SPSS-27 and AMOS-27. The results indicated that the direct effects of teacher–student relationship and sense of school belonging on social competence, as well as their effects on behavioral emotional regulation, were statistically significant. Moreover, the indirect paths of these two variables on social competence through behavioral emotional regulation were also significant. The findings emphasize the simultaneous role of environmental and individual factors in promoting students’ social competence. Accordingly, strengthening supportive relationships at school and teaching emotional regulation strategies may improve social skills and contribute to the psychological and social development of adolescents.

References:

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