AUTHOR=Zhang Zhen , Zhao Yali , Huang Xiaoyu , Guo Juan , Qi Chunhui 

TITLE=Teacher punishment intensity and parental trust in rural China: a moderated mediation of violation severity and trustworthiness

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1572656

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1572656

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Teacher discipline functions as an essential instrument not only for promoting the healthy development of adolescents but also for cultivating the trust relationship between parents and educators. Based on signaling theory and just deserts theory, this study explore the effects of teacher discipline intensity, student violation severity, and perceived trustworthiness on parental trust in rural China. A total of 1,206 parents residing in rural areas of Yichuan County, Henan Province, China, completed an online questionnaire. The findings indicate that disciplinary intensity exhibit a significant negative correlation with parental trust. Trustworthiness (ability, benevolence, and integrity) completely mediated this negative effect of disciplinary intensity on parental trust. Moreover, violation severity moderated the mediation model. Specifically, teacher discipline intensity significantly negatively predicts parents’ perception of teachers’ ability, benevolence, and integrity under low violation conditions. In contrast, disciplinary intensity can also significantly negatively predict integrity; however, it was not possible to predict ability or benevolence in high violation conditions. These findings provide educators with insights on implementing appropriate discipline to enhance parental trust.