Dynamics of Teacher–Student Relationships: Stability and Change Across Elementary School and the Influence on Children’s Academic Success

Abstract

This study modeled teacher-student relationship trajectories throughout elementary school to predict gains in achievement in an ethnic-diverse sample of 657 academically at-risk students. Teacher reports of Warmth and Conflict were collected in grades 1 to 5. Achievement was tested in grade 1 and 6. For Conflict, low-stable (normative), low-increasing, high-declining, and high-stable trajectories were found. For Warmth, high-declining (normative) and low-increasing patterns were found. Children with early behavioral, academic, or social risks were under-represented in the normative trajectory groups. Chronic conflict was most strongly associated with under achievement. Rising Conflict but not declining Conflict coincided with underachievement. The probability of school failure increased as a function of the timing and length of time children were exposed to relational adversity.

Child and Family Predictors of Child-Teacher Relationship Trajectories during the Transition from Preschool to School

“…Some additional evidence comes from a study examining the influence of child-teacher relationship trajectories on academic outcomes in elementary school [6]. This study found that boys, economically disadvantaged children, children with lower intelligence, early behavior problems, and African-American children were generally more likely to be in problematic relationship trajectories characterised by stable-low child-teacher warmth and increases in child-teacher conflict throughout elementary school [6].…”

“…Such assessments provide no information about whether the quality of the relationships being assessed are improving, declining, or remaining stable. This is important because repeated and cumulative experiences of relationship difficulties with teachers over time may have a greater and more lasting impact on children"s development than temporary or episodic difficulties experienced with a single teacher over a short period of time [6].…”

“…Longitudinal studies of elementary school children have found that positive trajectories of child-teacher relationship quality (characterized by children experiencing high closeness and less conflict over time) are significantly associated with better academic outcomes [6], [10], and better mental health outcomes [18], [25], [26]. For example, [25] used person-centered longitudinal analyses to identify different trajectory groups on teacher-child relational closeness and conflict in the first 5 years of school.…”

“…Within these models, the quality of child-teacher relationships over time is the result of various factors within family and school contexts and within the child. Children"s characteristics may contribute to stability in child-teacher relationships, whereas changes in family or school contexts may contribute to changes in relationship quality [6].…”

Mapping the Social World of Classrooms: A Multi‐Level, Multi‐Reporter Approach to Social Processes and Behavioral Engagement

“…This may foster negative feelings about or disengagement from school, particularly among students with academic or behavioral difficulties (Graziano, Reavis, Keane & Calkins, 2007;Maldonado-Carreño & VotrubaDrzal, 2011). Although research tends to report medium to large effects of the overall teacher-student relationship on students' engagement (Roorda et al, 2011), several studies note that conflict predicts academic engagement and achievement more strongly than closeness does Spilt, Hughes, Wu & Kwok, 2012).…”