Abstract:
While perceptions of teacher justice are known predictors of student’s motivation, the reciprocal nature of this relationship and the underlying mechanisms remain under-explored. Specifically, it is unclear how students’ grade motivation might influence their perceptions of teacher justice over time, and what role self-efficacy plays in this dynamic. This study employed a three-wave longitudinal design. A sample of 725 Chinese middle school students (M = 13.5 years, SD = 0.6; 62.5% fe male) completed questionnaires assessing their perceptions of teacher justice, grade motivation, and self-efficacy at three time points, each separated by a one-month interval. Cross-lagged panel modeling was used to analyze the longitudinal asso ciations among these variables. The results revealed significant, reciprocal relation ships between perceptions of teacher justice and grade motivation. However, these bidirectional effects were only present from Time 1 to Time 2, not from Time 2 to Time 3. Furthermore, the analysis uncovered a key mediating pathway: perceptions of teacher justice at Time 1 were prospectively associated with higher self-efficacy at Time 2, which in turn was associated with higher grade motivation at Time 3. The reverse mediational pathway from grade motivation to self-efficacy and then to perceptions of teacher justice was not significant. These findings extend motivation theory by incorporating both perceptions of teacher justice and temporal dynamics into the understanding of student motivation. Practically, fostering fair teacher–stu dent interactions can enhance students’ self-efficacy and grade motivation, provid ing crucial insights for classroom practice and educational equity in high-stakes academic contexts.
