How university physical education instructors’ political literacy shapes student values: the mediating role of teacher educative efficacy in the Chinese context

Background In the context of China’s comprehensive implementation of the fundamental task of “Fostering Virtue through Education,” integrating values education into university physical education (PE) and elevating it from “skill delivery” to “character shaping” has become a central educational issue of China. However, robust empirical evidence on how PE instructors’ political literacy drives this process remains scarce. Methods This study draws on survey data from PE instructors across 20 Chinese provinces and municipalities, collected from December 2025 to January 2026. Using structural equation modeling and mediation analysis, it systematically examines the internal mechanism through which teachers’ political literacy influences student values development. Results (1) University PE instructors’ political literacy is a multidimensional construct comprising political understanding, identification, faith, and practice; (2) teachers’ “educative efficacy” plays a substantially mediating role between political literacy and effectiveness in fostering student values; and (3) three “transmission delays” exist within this pathway: the delay in translating political cognition into teaching practice, the delay in sublimating classroom fun into value internalization, and the delay in converting educative efficacy into educational outcomes. Conclusion The accumulation of political literacy is driven by the endogenous motivation of self-efficacy, its deepening relies on external support from collaborative platforms, and its sustained development depends on the iterative momentum provided by feedback mechanisms. Consequently, this study constructs an integrated enhancement path synergizing “endogenous motivation stimulation, external environment optimization, and developmental mechanism guarantee.” This research elucidates the universal mechanism of how teachers translate personal belief systems into effective teaching practices, providing practical guidance for the professional development of PE instructors in the new era.