How do Adolescents’ Perceptions of Relationships with Teachers Change during Upper-Secondary School Years?

Abstract

The student-teacher relationship has mostly been assumed to be static. This approach is limited in providing information on how relationships with teachers evolve over time, and how possible changes affect young people's adjustment. To address this gap in knowledge, the present study examined whether adolescents follow different trajectories in their perceptions of relationship with teachers and whether students on different trajectories differ from each other in their adjustment. The sample included 829 students residing in Sweden (M age = 13.43, SD = 0.55, 51% girls). Three distinct teacher-relationship trajectories were identified. More than half (66%) of the adolescents (average-stable trajectory) reported an average level of positive relationships with teachers at grade 7, and did not change significantly over the three years. About 24% of the adolescents (high-increasing trajectory) reported a high level of fair and supportive teacher-relationships at T1, and continued to increase in their positive views from grade 7 to grade 9. Ten percent of the adolescents (average-declining trajectory) reported an average level of positive relationships with teachers at grade 7, but showed a decline in their positive views towards teachers over time. Relative to adolescents on an average-stable trajectory, adolescents on a high-increasing trajectory reported greater school satisfaction, higher achievement values, and lower failure anticipation. By contrast, adolescents in the average-declining group reported worsening school adjustment. No significant moderating effects of immigrant status and gender were found. These findings highlight the importance of the association between the continuous experience of supportive and fair teacher treatment and youth adjustment.

Adolescents’ Mental Health at School: The Mediating Role of Life Satisfaction

“…We found that older students reported weaker positive school relations and poorer mental health, along with a higher incidence of negative school relations. These findings are consistent with previous studies that have identified declines over time in adolescents' mental health outcomes as well as in their perceptions of emotional support from teachers (Eccles and Roeser, 2011;Bayram Özdemir and Özdemir, 2020). Given that adolescence is a major life period marked by numerous individual and contextual challenges with the potential to impact on adolescents' mental health (Dwivedi and Harper, 2004;Grazzani Gavazzi et al, 2011), our results add to our understanding of the association between school relations and mental health across age groups, confirming that student mental health hits its lowest point during late adolescence.…”

Fair Teachers, Fair Police? Assessing the Pathways between Perceptions of Teacher and Police Authority in Childhood and Adolescence

“…In addition, according to the procedural justice perspective, teachers that enforce rules in a fair, respectful and transparent manner are more likely to be perceived as trustworthy and legitimate (Trinkner & Cohn, 2014 ). This dynamic can vary between students, as perceptions of teacher authority and fairness differ across children depending on both individual and experiential factors (Murray & Zvoch, 2011 ; Bayrem Özdemir & Özdemir, 2020 ; Resh, 2009 ).…”

Estimating the Academic Performance of Secondary Education Mathematics Students: A Gain Lift Predictive Model

“…The scientific literature postulates that the teacher-student relationship significantly influences interest in the subject [50], conditions the academic trajectory of the students [36,37], and affects the academic performance of the students [33,34]. This relationship depends on the students' perception of the subject taught by the teacher and the difficulty perceived by the teacher [35].…”

“…This relationship depends on the students' perception of the subject taught by the teacher and the difficulty as perceived by the teacher [35]. These perceptions significantly influence interest in the subject matter and condition the student's future academic career [36,37]. However, a recent study states that the effects of teachers on student outcomes are generally not significant for most [38].…”