Teacher-Student Relationship and Prospect Identity among Students: The Mediating Role of Social-Emotional Competence and Student Satisfaction

Abstract Background. Prospect identity of the major of secondary vocational students plays a vital role in the student's future growth and work. This study aimed to investigate the link between factors in the teacher-student relationship and prospect identity of students' majors in secondary vocational schools. We studied social-emotional competence and student satisfaction as mediating factors, and created a chain of mediators. Sample.We collected data from 6,497 secondary vocational school students in a city in western China. Methods.Bootstrapping analyses were employed to test the direct and the mediating effects between the teacher-student relationship and students’ prospect Identity. The students reported on four variables: teacher-student relationships, social-emotional competence, satisfaction, and prospect identity. Results.The measurement results showed the teacher-student relationship affects prospect identity directly or indirectly through social-emotional competence and student satisfaction, and there is a chain mediating role of social-emotional competence and student satisfaction. Conclusions. We conclude that it remains essential to improve the quality of interaction-based teacher-student relationship to enhance student continuity and stability in a major development.