How novice teacher identity affects student psychological resilience: A multi-level analysis

While research has established that teacher professional identity influences teacher-student relationships and that these relationships affect student psychological resilience, the indirect pathway linking teacher identity to student psychological resilience through this mechanism remains unexplored, particularly among novice teachers facing unique first-year challenges. This study investigates the association between novice teachers' professional identity and seventh-grade students' psychological resilience, examining teacher-student relationships as a mediator and teachers' life satisfaction as a potential moderator. Data from 69 novice teachers and 2147 students across 10 Chinese middle schools were analyzed using Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling (MSEM) to account for the nested data structure. Results revealed that novice teachers' professional identity was not directly associated with students' psychological resilience; however, a significant indirect effect was found through teacher-student relationships, supporting full mediation. The hypothesized moderating effect of teachers' life satisfaction was not supported. These findings underscore the critical role of teacher-student relationships as the pathway through which novice teachers' professional identity contributes to students' psychological resilience, highlighting the importance of cultivating both professional identity and relational competencies in novice teacher preparation and induction programs.