AI Insight
This cross-sectional study examined how perceived teacher support relates to classroom silence among 1,533 Chinese vocational undergraduates, using structural equation modeling with serial mediation analysis. Teacher support showed no significant direct association with classroom silence, but operated indirectly through increased speaking self-efficacy and reduced speaking anxiety. The serial mediation pathway, running from teacher support through higher self-efficacy and then lower anxiety to reduced silence, was statistically significant and represented the primary mechanism identified in the model.
Why it matters
These findings suggest that educational interventions targeting students' communicative confidence and speaking anxiety may be more effective at reducing classroom silence than general teacher support alone. This has practical relevance for vocational higher education settings, where student participation is often limited and may affect learning outcomes.
BackgroundClassroom silence is common among vocational undergraduates and may limit students’ opportunities for interaction, feedback, and classroom participation. However, the psychological pathways linking teacher support to classroom silence remain insufficiently specified in this population. This cross-sectional study tested a theoretically specified serial mediation model in which speaking self-efficacy and speaking anxiety were examined as mechanisms connecting perceived teacher support with classroom silence among Chinese vocational undergraduates.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted among vocational undergraduates from eight universities in Hebei Province, China. Data on perceived teacher support, classroom speaking self-efficacy, speaking anxiety, and classroom silence tendency were assessed using self-report scales, and 1,533 valid responses were included after data-quality screening. Structural equation modeling and bias-corrected bootstrapping with 5,000 resamples were used to estimate direct and indirect statistical pathways among these variables.ResultsPerceived teacher support did not show a significant direct association with classroom silence (β = 0.101, p = 0.495). Higher perceived teacher support was associated with lower classroom silence through higher speaking self-efficacy (β = −0.104, 95% CI [−0.132, −0.077]). In addition, the serial pathway through higher speaking self-efficacy and lower speaking anxiety was significant (β = −0.127, 95% CI [−0.151, −0.104]), and the total indirect effect was also significant (β = −0.166, 95% CI [−0.194, −0.139]). Mediation analysis further showed a small positive indirect effect through speaking anxiety alone (β = 0.066, 95% CI [0.043, 0.090]), whereas model fit indices indicated an acceptable fit (NFI = 0.958, SRMR = 0.046).ConclusionTeacher support was associated with lower classroom silence primarily through higher speaking self-efficacy and lower speaking anxiety. Because the study was cross-sectional, the findings should be interpreted as theory-guided associations rather than evidence of causal effects. Interventions that strengthen communicative confidence and address speaking anxiety may help promote classroom participation among vocational undergraduates.