Musical self-expression and empathy as dual pathways from group music participation to pro-social behavior: a structural equation modeling approach

Introduction: Pro-social behavior plays a crucial role in promoting individual social development and societal harmony. However, research suggests that pro-social behaviors among university students are not consistently enacted despite positive intentions. Group music participation offers a unique socio-emotional context that integrates emotional expression, interpersonal coordination, and shared experiences. Building on socio-emotional learning and self-determination theory, this study examines whether musical self-expression and musical empathy serve as mechanisms linking group music activity participation to pro-social behavior. Methods: Data were collected from Chinese university music students using a time-lagged survey design across three waves. A total of 387 valid responses were obtained from students enrolled in music-related programs at public universities in Inner Mongolia. Constructs including group music activity participation, musical self-expression, musical empathy, and pro-social behavior were measured using validated Likert-scale instruments. The proposed relationships and serial mediation model were analyzed using variance-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results: The findings reveal a significant positive relationship between group music activity participation and pro-social behavior. Group music participation also positively predicts musical self-expression, which in turn enhances musical empathy. Both musical self-expression and musical empathy significantly mediate the relationship between group music activity participation and pro-social behavior. Furthermore, the results support a serial mediation pathway in which group music participation fosters musical self-expression, which subsequently promotes musical empathy and ultimately enhances pro-social behavior. Discussion: This study extends existing research by identifying socio-emotional learning mechanisms through which group music participation promotes pro-social development. The findings highlight the importance of emotional expression and empathic engagement in collaborative music-making contexts. These results provide theoretical contributions to music education and socio-emotional learning literature and offer practical implications for educators and institutions seeking to cultivate pro-social behaviors through group-based musical activities.