The bedrock of public service motivation among Chinese adolescents: family and school institutions

This study investigates the individual and interaction effects of parents and teachers on shaping adolescents’ PSM. Based on nationally representative data from China, we find that both family- and classroom- level factors positively impact adolescents’ PSM. Results further show that a satisfying teacher-student relationship significantly attenuates the influence the parent-child relationship imposes on PSM. This study empirically proves that the development of PSM can be understood as other-oriented emotional responses generated during one’s exchanges with socialization agents, leaving fertile ground for inquiries into non-organizational antecedents of PSM and the design of policies to foster it at the pre-entry stage.