Student-teacher relationships

The present study examined the relationship between student-teacher relationships and students’ academic engagement, with a particular focus on the mediating role of psychological well-being. A total of 380 high school students in Ahvaz, Iran, participated in the study. Data were collected using the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale – Short Form (STRS-SF), the Academic Engagement Scale, and Ryff’s 18-item Psychological Well-Being Scale. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the data and test the hypothesized model. The results indicated that student-teacher relationships positively predicted both academic engagement and psychological well-being. Moreover, psychological well-being was found to mediate the relationship between student-teacher relationships and academic engagement. The model demonstrated an acceptable fit to the data (CFI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.053). These findings underscore the critical role of emotional and psychological support in academic contexts and highlight the importance of fostering strong interpersonal connections between teachers and students. Enhancing student-teacher relationships and promoting psychological well-being may serve as effective strategies to increase students’ academic engagement