This study aims to utilize data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2018, conducted in four provinces and cities in China, to investigate the impact of social support on the resilience of disadvantaged students. It specifically focuses on the chain-mediated effects of school belonging and emotional experiences. To achieve this, the study selected 2997 disadvantaged students as participants and employed path analysis to examine the mediating effects. The results indicate that teacher support, parental support, school belonging, and positive emotional experiences significantly positively influence the resilience of disadvantaged students, while fear of failure significantly negatively affects resilience. Additionally, teacher and parental support indirectly impact the resilience of disadvantaged students through the chain-mediated effects of school belonging and positive emotional experiences. Similarly, teacher and parental support also influence the resilience of disadvantaged students through the chain-mediated effects of school belonging and fear of failure. To enhance the resilience development of disadvantaged students, it is recommended that teachers and parents provide active attention and support to these students. Simultaneously, there should be increased focus on the psychological well-being of disadvantaged students by strengthening their mental health education.

The social and emotional competence of adolescents serves as the cornerstone for their success and future development. This study aims to explore the impact of distributed leadership on the social and emotional competence of adolescents, examining the mediating roles of student-centered teaching practices and teacher self-efficacy. Utilizing survey data from 7246 Chinese adolescents in the SESS project, the study employs a multi-level structural equation modeling approach for data analysis. The results indicate that distributed leadership positively predicts the social and emotional competence of adolescents. Furthermore, distributed leadership exerts indirect effects on adolescents’ social and emotional competence through the independent mediating roles of student-centered teaching practices and teacher self-efficacy, as well as a sequential mediation process involving student-centered teaching practices leading to teacher self-efficacy. This study elucidates how distributed leadership facilitates the development of adolescents’ social and emotional competence, confirming the supportive factors influencing these crucial capacities. Simultaneously, it provides valuable insights into the daily practices of teachers, principals, and administrators.