Family vs. Teacher–Student Relationships and Online Learning Outcomes Among Chinese University Students: Evidence from the Pandemic Period

The teacher–student relationship is often more strongly associated with learning outcomes than the family relationship during emerging adulthood, primarily through self-efficacy. However, most of these findings are based on offline contexts, where teachers interact with students face-to-face and families remain relatively distant. Online learning may involve different dynamics, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when families became more engaged and teacher–student interactions were digitally mediated. These shifts may also reshape the traditionally blurred boundaries between parental and teacher roles in China, where teachers are often regarded as quasi-parental figures. Therefore, it is necessary to re-examine and compare the relative contributions of family and teacher–student relationships to online learning outcomes. Data were collected from 1793 university students (Mage = 21.28, SD = 2.26; 50.08% male) across 32 provinces in China. Structural equation modeling with bootstrapping was used to test mediation and compare direct and indirect effects. The results showed that (a) both family and teacher–student relationships were positively associated with online learning outcomes via self-efficacy, and (b) although total effects were similar, the teacher–student relationship exhibited a stronger indirect effect. These findings suggest that family relationships primarily offer emotional and environmental support, maintaining background stability, whereas teacher–student relationships foster the cognitive–motivational processes underlying autonomous learning. They may play complementary roles in online learning within the Chinese higher education, where schools retain instructional authority even in digital environments and families continue to act as educational mediators.