Humble teaching style and active learning behavior: A mentor perspective

Using social exchange theory as a basis, this study examined how university teachers' humble teaching style predicts students' active classroom learning behavior. We collected data from 447 Chinese university students via a survey. Results of regression and mediation analysis showed that humble teaching was positively related to active classroom behavior, with students' perceived trust partially mediating this effect. Additionally, through a moderation analysis we found that the relationship between humble teaching and perceived trust was stronger for students with high, compared to low, levels of proactive personality, thereby amplifying the indirect effect on active learning. These results highlight the role of trust and individual traits in promoting student engagement.