Longitudinal Effects of Teacher and Student Perceptions of Teacher-Student Relationship Qualities on Academic Adjustment

The shared and unique effects of teacher and student reports of teacher-student relationship quality (TSRQ) in second and third grade on academic self-views, behavioral engagement, and achievement the following year were investigated in a sample of 714 academically at-risk students. Teacher and student reports of teacher-student support and conflict showed low correspondence. As a block, teacher and student reports of TSRQ predicted all outcomes, above prior performance on that outcome and background variables. Student reports uniquely predicted school belonging, perceived academic competence, and math achievement. Teacher reports uniquely predicted behavioral engagement and child-perceived academic competence. Teacher and student reports of the teacher-student relationship assess largely different constructs that predict different outcomes. Implications of findings for practice and research are discussed.

[1]  N. Noddings.  The Challenge to Care in Schools: An Alternative Approach to Education , 1992 .

[2]  Richard M. Ryan,et al.  Representations of Relationships to Teachers, Parents, and Friends as Predictors of Academic Motivation and Self-Esteem , 1994 .

[3]  Larry E. Toothaker,et al.  Multiple Regression: Testing and Interpreting Interactions , 1991 .

[4]  K. Verschueren,et al.  Classroom problem behavior and teacher-child relationships in kindergarten: the moderating role of classroom climate. , 2008, Journal of school psychology.

[5]  B. Hamre,et al.  Can instructional and emotional support in the first-grade classroom make a difference for children at risk of school failure? , 2005, Child development.

[6]  E. Skinner,et al.  Motivation in the classroom: Reciprocal effects of teacher behavior and student engagement across the school year. , 1993 .

[7]  J. Hughes,et al.  Teacher-student relationships as compensatory resources for aggressive children. , 2003, Child development.

[8]  Victor L. Willson,et al.  Further Support for the Developmental Significance of the Quality of the Teacher–Student Relationship , 2001 .

[9]  R. Houts,et al.  Predicting individual differences in attention, memory, and planning in first graders from experiences at home, child care, and school. , 2004, Developmental psychology.

[10]  J. Hughes,et al.  Teacher-Student Support, Effortful Engagement, and Achievement: A 3-Year Longitudinal Study. , 2008, Journal of educational psychology.

[11]  G. A. Waas,et al.  Child and Teacher Reports of Teacher-Student Relationships: Concordance of Perspectives and Associations with School Adjustment in Urban Kindergarten Classrooms. , 2008 .

[12]  W. Hagborg,et al.  An investigation of a brief measure of school membership. , 1998, Adolescence.

[13]  C. Howes,et al.  Children's relationships with peers: differential associations with aspects of the teacher-child relationship. , 1994, Child development.

[14]  M. Greenberg,et al.  Improving Young Children’s Social and Emotional Competence: A Randomized Trial of the Preschool “PATHS” Curriculum , 2007, The Journal of Primary Prevention.

[15]  R. Pianta,et al.  The first two years of school: Teacher-child relationships and deflections in children's classroom adjustment , 1995, Development and Psychopathology.

[16]  F. Guay,et al.  Predicting change in academic achievement : A model of peer experiences and self-system processes , 1999 .

[17]  Tim Urdan,et al.  Classroom effects on student motivation: Goal structures, social relationships, and competence beliefs , 2006 .

[18]  S. Maxwell,et al.  Testing mediational models with longitudinal data: questions and tips in the use of structural equation modeling. , 2003, Journal of abnormal psychology.

[19]  J. Connell,et al.  Competence, autonomy, and relatedness: A motivational analysis of self-system processes. , 1991 .

[20]  Lynley H. Anderman.  Classroom goal orientation, school belonging and social goals as predictors of students' positive and negative affect following the transition to middle school. , 1999 .

[21]  S. Syme,et al.  Social support and health. , 1986 .

[22]  R. Pianta,et al.  Teachers' Perceptions of Their Relationships with Students: Effects of Child Age, Gender, and Ethnicity of Teachers and Children. , 2001 .

[23]  J. Hughes,et al.  Child Effortful Control, Teacher-student Relationships, and Achievement in Academically At-risk Children: Additive and Interactive Effects. , 2010, Early childhood research quarterly.

[24]  Eric F. Dubow,et al.  Assessing Social Support in Elementary School Children: The Survey of Children's Social Support , 1989 .

[25]  E. Waters,et al.  Attachment and Socialization The Positive Side of Social Influence , 1991 .

[26]  R. Pianta,et al.  Teacher-Child Relationships and Children's Success in the First Years of School , 2004 .

[27]  Ron Coriell,et al.  Doing Unto Others , 1980 .

[28]  G. Brody,et al.  Unique and protective contributions of parenting and classroom processes to the adjustment of African American children living in single-parent families. , 2002, Child development.

[29]  K. Wentzel.  Social Relationships and Motivation in Middle School: The Role of Parents, Teachers, and Peers , 1998 .

[30]  R. Kobak,et al.  Emotional Security With Teachers and Children's Stress Reactivity: A Comparison of Special-Education and Regular-Education Classrooms , 2003, Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology : the official journal for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 53.

[31]  B. Soenens,et al.  Reciprocal Relations Between Teacher–Child Conflict and Aggressive Behavior in Kindergarten: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study , 2008, Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology : the official journal for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 53.

[32]  Jacquelynne S Eccles,et al.  I like to do it, I'm able, and I know I am: longitudinal couplings between domain-specific achievement, self-concept, and interest. , 2007, Child development.

[33]  Andrew J. Mashburn,et al.  Measures of classroom quality in prekindergarten and children's development of academic, language, and social skills. , 2008, Child development.

[34]  Frank M. Pajares,et al.  Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Academic Settings , 1996 .

[35]  M. Greenberg,et al.  Examining the Importance of Social Relationships and Social Contexts in the Lives of Children With High-Incidence Disabilities , 2006 .

[36]  Erin O'Connor,et al.  Examining Teacher–Child Relationships and Achievement as Part of an Ecological Model of Development , 2007 .

[37]  Scott D. Gest,et al.  Peer academic reputation in elementary school : Associations with changes in self-concept and academic skills , 2005 .

[38]  Gary W. Ladd,et al.  The Teacher-Child Relationship and Children's Early School Adjustment , 1997 .

[39]  R. Pianta,et al.  Development of Academic Skills from Preschool Through Second Grade: Family and Classroom Predictors of Developmental Trajectories , 2002 .

[40]  Robert C. Pianta,et al.  Relationships Between Teachers and Children , 2003 .

[41]  Phillip R. Shaver,et al.  Handbook of attachment : theory, research, and clinical applications , 1999 .

[42]  J. Hughes,et al.  Effects of the structure of classmates' perceptions of peers' academic abilities on children's perceived cognitive competence, peer acceptance, and engagement. , 2007, Contemporary educational psychology.

[43]  Irwin G. Sarason,et al.  Social support: An interactional view. , 1990 .

[44]  E. Dubow,et al.  The relation between stressful life events and adjustment in elementary school children: the role of social support and social problem-solving skills. , 1989, Child development.

[45]  J. Eccles,et al.  Age and gender differences in children's self- and task perceptions during elementary school. , 1993, Child development.

[46]  Stephen Hughes.  Attachment and Loss. Vol. I , 1969, Mental Health.

[47]  Steven J. Kirsh,et al.  Attachment and representations of peer relationships , 1996 .

[48]  J. Allen,et al.  "They like me, they like me not": popularity and adolescents' perceptions of acceptance predicting social functioning over time. , 2008, Child development.

[49]  D. Stipek,et al.  Young children's feelings about school. , 2001, Child development.

[50]  Douglas M. Brock,et al.  The Perceived Acceptance Scale: Development and Validation , 1998 .

[51]  K. Dodge,et al.  Initial impact of the Fast Track prevention trial for conduct problems: II. Classroom effects. Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. , 1999, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[52]  G. Ladd,et al.  Children's social and scholastic lives in kindergarten: related spheres of influence? , 1999, Child development.

[53]  Andrew J. Mashburn,et al.  Effects of Web-Mediated Professional Development Resources on Teacher-Child Interactions in Pre-Kindergarten Classrooms. , 2008, Early childhood research quarterly.

[54]  M. Reiser,et al.  Preschoolers' academic readiness: What role does the teacher-child relationship play? , 2007, Early childhood research quarterly.

[55]  Avishai Henik,et al.  SUPPRESSION SITUATIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH : DEFINITIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND APPLICATIONS , 1991 .

[56]  L. Frank.  The Society for Research in Child Development , 1935 .

[57]  K. Dodge,et al.  Behavioral antecedents of peer social status. , 1983 .

[58]  Michael Lewis,et al.  Social influences and socialization in infancy , 1991 .

[59]  Sarah Miles,et al.  Contemporaneous and longitudinal associations between social behavior and literacy achievement in a sample of low-income elementary school children. , 2006, Child development.

[60]  G. Evans.  The environment of childhood poverty. , 2004, The American psychologist.

[61]  P. Mantzicopoulos.  Conflictual relationships between kindergarten children and their teachers: Associations with child and classroom context variables , 2005 .

[62]  Irwin G. Sarason,et al.  Social support: The sense of acceptance and the role of relationships. , 1990 .

[63]  S Harter,et al.  The pictorial scale of perceived competence and social acceptance for young children. , 1984, Child development.

[64]  Marilyn J. Essex,et al.  Trajectories of Classroom Externalizing Behavior: Contributions of Child Characteristics, Family Characteristics, and the Teacher-Child Relationship during the School Transition. , 2005 .

[65]  R. S. McCallum.  The Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test , 2003 .

[66]  Susan H. Landry,et al.  Effectiveness of Comprehensive Professional Development for Teachers of At-Risk Preschoolers , 2009 .

[67]  J. Finn.  Withdrawing From School , 1989 .

[68]  J. Bowlby.  Attachment and loss: retrospect and prospect. , 1969, The American journal of orthopsychiatry.

[69]  R. Weiss.  The provisions of social relationships , 1974 .

[70]  B. Hamre,et al.  Early teacher-child relationships and the trajectory of children's school outcomes through eighth grade. , 2001, Child development.

[71]  A. Bandura,et al.  Multifaceted impact of self-efficacy beliefs on academic functioning. , 1996, Child development.

[72]  D. Buhrmester,et al.  The development of companionship and intimacy. , 1987, Child development.

[73]  H. Marsh,et al.  Self-Concepts of Young Children 5 to 8 Years of Age: Measurement and Multidimensional Structure , 1991 .

[74]  S. West,et al.  Personality Measurement: Reliability and Validity Issues , 1997 .

[75]  G. Ladd,et al.  The role of chronic peer difficulties in the development of children's psychological adjustment problems. , 2003, Child development.

[76]  Robert C. Pianta,et al.  Beyond the parent : the role of other adults in children's lives , 1992 .

[77]  Jodie B. Ullman,et al.  Classroom social experiences as predictors of academic performance. , 2005, Developmental psychology.

[78]  John Bowlby,et al.  Loss--Sadness and Depression , 1980 .

[79]  J. Connell,et al.  Individual differences and the development of perceived control. , 1998, Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development.

[80]  E. Skinner,et al.  Sense of Relatedness as a Factor in Children's Academic Engagement and Performance. , 2003 .

[81]  I. Bretherton,et al.  Internal working models in attachment relationships: A construct revisited. , 1999 .

[82]  E. DeMulder,et al.  Q-Sort Assessment of Child–Teacher Attachment Relationships and Social Competence in the Preschool , 1997 .

[83]  Deborah A. Phillips,et al.  Child-care quality and children's social development. , 1987 .

[84]  E. Dubow,et al.  A two-year longitudinal study of stressful life events, social support, and social problem-solving skills: contributions to children's behavioral and academic adjustment. , 1991, Child development.

[85]  D. Entwisle,et al.  From First Grade Forward: Early Foundations of High School Dropout. , 1997 .

[86]  C. Edelbrock,et al.  Manual for the Child: Behavior Checklist and Revised Child Behavior Profile , 1983 .

[87]  J. Hughes,et al.  Classroom engagement mediates the effect of teacher-student support on elementary students' peer acceptance: A prospective analysis. , 2006, Journal of school psychology.

[88]  G. Ladd,et al.  Children's interpersonal behaviors and the teacher-child relationship. , 1998, Developmental psychology.

[89]  A. Rydell,et al.  Elementary School Children with Behavior Problems: Teacher-Child Relations and Self-Perception. A Prospective Study , 2004 .

[90]  R. Weinstein,et al.  Classroom and developmental differences in a path model of teacher expectancy effects. , 2001, Child development.

[91]  J. Hughes,et al.  Influence of the teacher-student relationship on childhood conduct problems: a prospective study. , 1999, Journal of clinical child psychology.

[92]  S. Cobb.  Presidential Address-1976. Social support as a moderator of life stress. , 1976, Psychosomatic medicine.

[93]  D. Buhrmester,et al.  Children's perceptions of the personal relationships in their social networks. , 1985 .

[94]  A. Bandura.  Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory , 1985 .

[95]  Ronald C. Kessler,et al.  Social support and mental health in community samples. , 1985 .

[96]  Jina S. Yoon,et al.  Relationships Between Teachers and Urban African American Children , 2007 .

[97]  P. Mantzicopoulos,et al.  Development and validation of a measure to assess head start children's appraisals of teacher support , 2003 .

[98]  Jan Hughes,et al.  Influence of Student-Teacher and Parent-Teacher Relationships on Lower Achieving Readers' Engagement and Achievement in the Primary Grades. , 2007, Journal of educational psychology.

[99]  M. Greenberg,et al.  The PATHS Curriculum , 2011 .

[100]  Phyllis C. Blumenfeld,et al.  Change in Children's Competence Beliefs and Subjective Task Values across the Elementary School Years: A 3-Year Study. , 1997 .

[101]  S. Maxwell,et al.  The development of multiple domains of child and adolescent self-concept: a cohort sequential longitudinal design. , 2001, Child development.

[102]  C. Goodenow.  The psychological sense of school membership among adolescents: Scale development and educational correlates , 1993 .