The reciprocal relationships between head teachers’ negotiation management behavior and teacher-student relationship and primary school students’ externalizing problem behaviors from grades four to six: A cross-lagged study

problem negatively impact on the and future development of head students’ by adopting management behavior and the - student relationship on students’ externalizing problem behaviors. the transactional model that students’ externalizing problem behaviors may also affect teachers’ negotiation management behavior and the teacher - student relationship. present aims to explore the reciprocal relationships between head teachers’ negotiation management behavior and teacher-student relationship and primary school students’ externalizing problem behaviors from grades four to six in behaviors at Time 1 reduced the head teachers’ negotiation management behavior, decreased the closeness of the teacher - student relationship, and increased the conflicts of the teacher - student relationship at Time 2, which further affected the students’ externalizing problem behaviors, the teacher - student relationship, and the head teacher’s negotiation management behavior at Time 3. These observations deepen the understanding of the complex reciprocal relationships between head teachers’ negotiation management behavior and teacher-student relationship and primary school students’ externalizing problem behaviors from grade four to six in China. Additionally, the findings have important implications for preventing and intervening in students’ externalizing problem behaviors. The results reflect that the head teachers need to be aware of the negative “driver” role of students’ externalizing problem behaviors, and consciously use the positive “driver” role of negotiation management behavior to break the negative cycle driven by students’ externalizing problem behaviors.