The role of teacher–student relationships in grit during early adolescence: A three-year longitudinal study

Previous cross-sectional studies have established positive associations between teacher–student relationships and grit in adolescents. However, these studies did not explore the mutual relationships between within-person changes in these variables. This study investigated the longitudinal associations between within-person changes in teacher–student relationships and grit using data from the Korean Child and Youth Panel Survey 2018, a large, longitudinal, and nationally representative dataset. A total of 2607 Korean adolescents ( M age = 10.14, SD = 0.30; 1294 females) participated in a three-wave study conducted at one-year intervals. The results of the random intercept cross-lagged panel model supported unidirectional associations between the two variables, indicating that within-person changes in teacher–student relationships predicted within-person changes in grit, but not vice versa. Facet-level analyses revealed that within-person changes in teacher–student relationships predicted within-person changes in perseverance but not passion. Conversely, within-person changes in perseverance or passion did not predict within-person changes in teacher–student relationships. These findings underscore the importance of teacher–student relationships in the development of grit during adolescence, suggesting that positive teacher–student interactions can contribute to beneficial outcomes beyond academic achievement. • We tested within-person links between teacher–student relationships (TSR) and grit. • A random intercept cross-lagged panel model was used on a large panel dataset. • Within-person changes in TSR predicted within-person changes in grit. • However, within-person changes in grit did not predict within-person changes in TSR. • Our findings highlight the importance of TSR in enhancing grit during adolescence.