A three-domain perspective on teacher-student relationship and bullying victimization in Chinese schools: a serial mediation.

INTRODUCTION: Guided by the Teaching Through Interactions framework, this study examined how teacher emotional support, teacher instructional support, and disciplinary climate were related to students' school bullying victimization, focusing on the serial mediating roles of school belonging and exclusion. METHODS: A total of 798 students aged 12-16 years in eastern China were surveyed using the PISA-adapted scales to measure the domains of teacher-student relationship, school belonging, school exclusion, and bullying victimization. Structural equation modeling was used to assess direct and indirect pathways. RESULTS: Teacher emotional and instructional support were positively associated with school belonging, which in turn was related to lower exclusion and reduced bullying victimization. Disciplinary climate was indirectly linked to less bullying, primarily through lower exclusion. DISCUSSION: These findings clarify how multidimensional teacher-student relationship shapes bullying through school belonging and exclusion in Chinese schools. These findings extend social-ecological and interactional perspectives to the Chinese context and highlight practical levers for prevention, including strengthening teacher emotional and instructional support, fostering a fair disciplinary climate, and addressing school belonging and exclusion as proximal mediators and intervention targets.