Parent–child relationship and learning engagement: A moderated mediation model

This study investigated how parent–child, peer, and teacher–student relationships affect high school students’ learning engagement. Participants comprised 658 Chinese high school students who completed anonymous surveys at a single time point. The results showed that (a) all three relationships positively predicted learning engagement, (b) peer relationships partially mediated the effect of parent–child relationships on learning engagement, and (c) teacher–student relationships moderated both the direct pathway through which parent–child relationships affected learning engagement and the latter part of the mediated pathway through peer relationships. The findings have implications for the design of future educational programs, which could leverage the combined benefits of parent–child and peer relationships to enhance teacher–student relationships and boost students’ learning engagement.