Victim Sensitivity and Altruistic Behavior in School: Mediating Effects of Teacher Justice and Teacher-Student Relationship.

Shuyang Jiang,Wei Hong,Tian Po Oei,Yi Ding,Ru-De Liu,Xinchen Fu

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01077

Shuyang Jiang, Wei Hong + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01077

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Abstract

The current study aimed to explore how victim sensitivity influenced altruistic behaviors in school and to explore the mediating roles of teacher justice and teacher-student relationship. In 2018, we recruited 1,856 Chinese adolescents including 989 fourth graders (M = 10.35, SD = 0.56) and 867 eighth graders (M = 15.57, SD = 0.91), and the participation rate was 100%. Participations completed the self-report victim sensitivity scale, the teacher justice scale, the teacher-student relationship scale, and the altruistic behavior toward classmate scale. Structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that victim sensitivity had a direct negative effect on altruistic behavior in school, but this relationship was mediated by teacher justice. There was also a mediated path between teacher justice and altruistic behavior by way of teacher-student relationship. These findings suggested possible mechanisms to explain the relationship between victim sensitivity and altruistic behavior and provided new directions for intervention.

Highlights

Altruistic behavior refers to people share their own resources and energy with others without expecting any rewards (Batson, 1991, 2010; Kurzban et al, 2015)
We found that gender was positively associated with victim sensitivity and negatively associated with teacher justice, teacher-student relationship, and altruistic behavior
Except for gender and grade, victim sensitivity was negatively correlated with teacher justice, teacher-student relationship, and altruistic behavior

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Altruistic behavior refers to people share their own resources and energy with others without expecting any rewards (Batson, 1991, 2010; Kurzban et al, 2015). Students’ experience of teacher injustice was negatively related to their group identification (Jiang et al, 2018) and positively related to problem behaviors, such as bullying, cheating, and delinquent behavior (Donat et al, 2012, 2014), which further reduced students’ altruistic behaviors Based on these findings, it can be argued that teacher justice is an important mediating factor for the association between victim sensitivity and altruistic behavior in school. These theories both emphasize the importance of social norms and relationships to important people to one’s behavior in the community (Wang et al, 2015a) It follows that, for students, teacher justice and teacher-student relationship may both be critical for students’ altruistic behavior in school.

Participants and Procedure

RESULTS

DISCUSSION

CONCLUSION

ETHICS STATEMENT