The Impact of PE Teachers' Relatedness-Supportive Communication Style on Middle and High School Students' Social-Emotional Competence: The Mediating Role of Basic Psychological Needs

The purpose of this study was to explore and identify the antecedents of social emotional competence during adolescence. To achieve this, the study aims to examine the mediating effect of psychological needs on the relationship between teachers' relatedness supportive communication style and students' social emotional competence. Data were collected from middle and high school students through an online survey, and a total of 927 responses (510 male, 417 female) were analyzed. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0 and Mplus 8.11 statistical software to address the purpose of the study. The results of the study revealed the following: First, teachers' relatedness supportive communication style had a positive effect on students' social emotional competence. Second, teachers' relatedness supportive communication style was found to positively influence students' psychological needs. Finally, psychological needs were confirmed to have a positive mediating effect on the relationship between relatedness-supportive communication style and social-emotional competence. These findings suggest that the development of social-emotional competence in adolescents is influenced not only by their experience of psychological need satisfaction but also by the relatedness-supportive environment created by teachers.