Teacher-Student Relationships and Self-Regulated Learning: The Serial Mediating Roles of Learning Engagement and Affective Computing-Derived Emotional Valence

This study investigated the relationship between teacher-student relationships and university students' self-regulated learning, examining the serial mediating roles of learning engagement and affective computing-derived emotional valence. A natural experiment was conducted by collecting data during regular classroom instruction. Facial expression analysis via affective computing was employed to quantify students' emotional valence. Additionally, participants completed validated self-report scales measuring teacher-student relationships, learning engagement, and self-regulated learning. The sample consisted of 98 university students (56 male, 42 female) with a mean age of 19.27 years. The findings revealed a significant mediating effect of learning engagement alone. Furthermore, the serial mediation pathway through learning engagement and subsequently through emotional valence was also significant. However, the isolated mediating effect of emotional valence was not found to be significant. The study demonstrates that positive teacher-student relationships may enhance students' self-regulated learning by first fostering their learning engagement, which in turn promotes the experience of positive emotions during learning activities. These findings underscore the importance of considering both behavioral engagement and affective states in understanding the mechanisms linking relational classroom factors to academic self-regulation.