The teacher-student relationship as a predictive variable of school engagement: The mediating role of subjective well-being in a structural equation model with indigenous students aged 10 to 14 years old

La relación docente-estudiante como una variable predictora del compromiso escolar: el rol mediador del bienestar subjetivo en un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales en estudiantes indígenas de entre 10 y 14 años

Joaquin Brieba-Fuenzalida, Universidad de Concepción, ChileFollow

DOI

10.22550/2174-0909.4509

Abstract

The teacher-student relationship is a key factor in students’ academic performance, school engagement, and subjective well-being. However, little is known about how this relationship influences these variables among Indigenous students, particularly Mapuche students in Chile. This study evaluates a predictive model of the teacher-student relationship on school engagement and the role of subjective well-being in this relationship in Mapuche students aged 10 to 14. A crosssectional design was used, with a sample of 300 students aged 10 to 14. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the relationships among the teacher-student relationship, school engagement, and subjective well-being. Results revealed a moderate significant direct effect of the teacher-student relationship on school engagement (β = .359, p

Financiación | Funding

No conflicts of interest are declared in the preparation of this article. This work was funded by the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) of Chile, through the National Doctoral Scholarship, grant number 21231521.

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Author Biography

Joaquín Brieba-Fuenzalida. Since 2017 to 2019, he worked at the Center for Research and Improvement of Education at the Universidad del Desarrollo, participating in research projects and editing a book on educational psychology. During this period, he was also a teaching assistant in various psychology courses. He has presented at international and national conferences and seminars, including the National Latinx Psychological Association (2019), the Regional Congress of the Interamerican Society of Psychology (2022), the International Congress of the Institute for Culture and Society at the University of Navarra (2024), and the XVIII Chilean Congress of Psychology (2024). He was awarded a scholarship for his professional internship at Salud Family Health Centers in Colorado, USA, where he worked implementing crisis intervention and diagnostic assessment. Currently, he is a PhD candidate in Mental Health at the University of Concepción, funded by an ANID scholarship. He works at the Andalién Sur Local Public Education Service as coordinator of the Monitoring and Evaluation Team for Educational Processes and Outcomes, and as an independent clinical psychologist. Additionally, he provides methodological consulting for thesis projects, teaches undergraduate courses, and offers preparation classes for Psychology degree examinations.

https://orcid.org/0009-0003-2913-5574

Citación recomendada | Recommended citation

Brieba-Fuenzalida, J. (2025). The teacher-student relationship as a predictive variable of school engagement: The mediating role of subjective well-being in a structural equation model with indigenous students aged 10 to 14 years old [La relación docente-estudiante como una variable predictora del compromiso escolar: el rol mediador del bienestar subjetivo en un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales en estudiantes indígenas de entre 10 y 14 años]. Revista Española de Pedagogía, 83(291), 471-489. https://doi.org/10.22550/2174-0909.4509