Teachers as Beacons of Hope: The Mediating Role of Future Expectations on the Association Between Student-Teacher Relationships and Justice-Involved Adolescents' Grades and Offending

Justice-involved adolescents are at increased risk for poor academic outcomes and reoffending. However, strong bonds with teachers have been shown to promote academic success and encourage desistance. The current study examined whether more hopeful future expectations mediated the association between student-teacher relationships and justice-involved adolescents' offending and grades, respectively, using data from a longitudinal study of male youth recruited after their first arrest. Findings revealed that stronger student-teacher relationships predicted more positive future expectations which, indirectly, predicted better grades and less offending. These findings underscore the mechanism by which justice-involved adolescents' school connectedness cultivates hopeful expectancies for the future, which can deter delinquency and promote academic success. Implications for fostering these relationships during re-entry for justice-involved adolescents are discussed.