Teaching styles and school adjustment among migrant and non-migrant children in China: cross-sectional indirect associations via achievement goals and academic engagement

This study examines the associations between teaching styles (teacher autonomy support and teacher control) and school adjustment among migrant and non-migrant children in China, with achievement goals and academic engagement modeled as potential linking variables. Cross-sectional questionnaire data were collected from 1,147 fourth- to sixth-grade students, including 527 migrant children and 620 non-migrant children. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with multigroup comparisons based on Wald tests. Results indicate that teacher autonomy support is significantly positively associated with school adjustment, whereas teacher control is negatively associated with it. Mastery-approach and mastery-avoidance goals, together with academic engagement, serve as key linking variables in these associations. Notably, the positive association between autonomy support and school adjustment, particularly through mastery-approach goals and direct academic engagement, is stronger for migrant children. In contrast, teacher control is negatively associated with school adjustment only in non-migrant children, linked through mastery-avoidance goals and academic engagement. These findings underscore the importance of teacher autonomy support in relation to school adjustment and suggest that educational practices could consider enhancing autonomy support and mastery-approach goals for migrant children, while reducing controlling practices for non-migrant children to improve educational outcomes.