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Group Topic: Effective Teaching and its Impact on Student Engagement

Individual Topic: Effect of Student Teacher Relationships on Student Engagement

Part A: Literature Review:

The importance of positive teacher to student relationships has been deemed critical in

aiding secondary students to remain engaged in class work, as research shows “student

success indicators, such as motivation, engagement, and achievement, often decline in early

adolescence” (Kearney, Smith, & Maika, 2014). As argued by Kearney et al. (2014), teachers

play a vital role in the creation of a classroom climate that allows students to become and

remain engaged, as well as the fostering of positive relationships and good classroom climates

correlates with high student achievement. Kearney et al. (2014) found that supportive teacher

behaviour significantly affected student engagement in maths and reading lessons, and that a

key facet of supportive teacher behaviour was the teacher fostering a positive relationship with

their individual students and the class as a whole.

It is theorised that the school environment is the one most malleable and open for

change by educators, as it is the one educators have most control over in terms of student

experience (Quin, 2016). In Quins 2016 meta-analysis it is argued that “a feeling of mutual

affection between teacher and student may buffer against negative emotions such as boredom,

frustration, and anxiety, and promote student engagement”. In essence, students who get along

with their teachers are more likely to overcome or not experience emotions that would disrupt

their learning in the classroom. Quin (2016) used 46 articles in their meta-analysis, representing

over 270,000 participants, and found that the majority of research around teacher-student

relationships relies on student self-reporting and surveys. Quin (2016) found that teacher care,

relationships, a feeling of equality in the eyes of their teacher, and positive expectations
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correlated positively to students emotional and behavioural engagement within the classroom

and the school. It was also found that students who self-reported high quality teacher-student

relationships were more likely to have a positive perception of their school performance (Quin,

2016).

Roorda, Koomen, Spilt, and Oort (2011) compared the impact between positive and

negative teacher-student relationships and their influence on student engagement. In particular

Roorda et al. (2011) posit that negative teacher-student relationships would be more powerful

than positive relationships on student (dis)engagement. Roorda et al.’s 2011 study was a

meta-analysis of previous literature around the idea of teacher-student relationships and their

effect on outcomes and engagement, and it drew on 92 articles which analysed a combined

129,423 students. Their findings across the meta-analysis indicate that secondary students are

more likely to benefit from positive relationships with their teachers, while primary students are

more likely to suffer from a lack of engagement when they have negative relationships with their

teachers (Roorda et al., 2011, p. 515). Naturally secondary students suffer from negative

relationships and primary students benefit from positive ones, but the impact is less pronounced

in these instances than in there inverse (Roorda et al., 2011). Roorda et al. suggest that future

research could investigate the teacher-student relationships and how they correspond to

student engagement across several school years for the same students, as this research was

found to be lacking.

Engels et al.’s (2016) study reflected Roorda et al.’s 2011 call for research that followed

students for several years and assessed their relationships and engagement each year. Engel

et al. (2016) argued that there was a transactional association between students behaviours in

class and their relationships with their teachers. Engels et al. (2016) posited that students who

have positive relationships with their teachers were more likely to require fewer behavioural
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interventions and more likely to have high levels of behavioural engagement, and that

conversely students who showed low levels of behavioural engagement often had negative

teacher-student relationships. Engel et al.’s (2016) survey consisted of 1,116 students across a

three year timespan from a variety of schools in Belgium. The results of their study support

Engels et al.s (2016) argument that these were transactional experiences for the students, as

their study found that negative relationships between teacher and student gave rise to higher

instances of behavioural problems and academic disengagement, with one issue leading into

the other.

Murray and Greenberg (2000) explored the effect of teacher-student relationships on

how a student can feel a sense of belonging and connectedness within the school. Murray and

Greenberg argue that students who self-reported personal issues around school competence

also had issues with delinquency, conduct problems, as well as other behavioural problems.

These students also self reported having negative relationships with their teachers. The study

also found that students who self-reported positive relationships with their teachers had high

levels of warmth with their teachers, low levels of anger in their interactions with teachers, and

had positive perceptions of the overall school environment. Through their research Murray and

Greenberg (2000) found that students with strong positive relationships with their teachers were

more likely to display prosocial and engaged behaviours and less likely to behave disruptively in

the classroom or wider school context.

Studsrod and Bru’s 2011 study took particular interest in how students perceived their

attendance at school in relation to how they felt about the school climate and teachers. Studsrod

and Bru (2011) provided 564 Norwegian secondary school students with a questionnaire about

their experiences within their school, in particular about their perceptions of teacher-socialization
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practices and how previous school experiences had impacted their motivation to continue their

education. Their results showed that students who felt their teachers provided high levels of

academic support were more likely to have low truancy levels, a lower score for school

alienation, and had high scores for motivation to continue their education. Studsrod and Bru

(2011) do allow that the positive correlation between teacher relationships and school interest

might work the other way around, as motivated students who are looking to continue their

education might be more likely to have positive relationships with their teachers, and that the

positive relationship is a result of the desire for education, rather than the positive relationship

promoting the desire for education.

Davis and Lease (2007) look at the ways a student’s reputation in the classroom as

being ‘liked’ or ‘not liked’ by a teacher could impact their engagement with class content. Davis

and Lease (2007) provided a survey to 523 students aged 11 to 13 in the U.S.A. from one

particular school, which enquired after their relationships with their teachers and how they felt

about their classmates relationships with their teachers. Ultimately Davis and Lease (2007)

caution teachers against having negative relationships -or relationships that could be perceived

as negative- with their students, as students who reported negative relationships with their

teachers were more likely to have poorer relationships within the whole school community. They

were also more likely to display reduced motivation for school in general. Interestingly, as the

study was run across a year, results from the end of the year show that students whose peers

believed them to be ‘not liked’ by their teacher at the start of the year had far lower outcomes

and more negative relationships than those students whose peers thought they were ‘liked’ by

their teachers (Davis and Lease, 2007, p423).

Yunus, Osman and Ishak (2011) take particular interest in how positive relationships

between teachers and students can benefit English as a Second Language (ESL) students and
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engage and motivate them in class. Yunus et al. (2011) undertook 6 interviews with pre-service

ESL teachers in Malaysia about their experiences, both as students and as teachers of ESL

programs. They found that the respondents were able to highlight the importance of their

positive relationships with their teachers as factors that led to their academic success, and were

able to identify the same importance for their own students in their capacity as teachers.

Through their research Yunus et al. (2011) found that first impressions were significant, as

teacher-student relationships were formed quickly in the classroom and were reinforced by both

parties behaviours once established.

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References for part A:

Davis, H. A., & Lease, A. M. (2007). Perceived organizational structure for teacher liking: The

role of peers’ perceptions of teacher liking in teacher–student relationship quality,

motivation, and achievement. ​Social Psychology of Education, ​10(4), 403-427.

doi:10.1007/s11218-007-9031-1

Engels, M. C., Colpin, H., Leeuwen, K. V., Bijttebier, P., Noortgate, W. V., Claes, S., . . .

Verschueren, K. (2016). Behavioral Engagement, Peer Status, and Teacher–Student

Relationships in Adolescence: A Longitudinal Study on Reciprocal Influences. ​Journal of

Youth and Adolescence, ​45(6), 1192-1207. doi:10.1007/s10964-016-0414-5

Kearney, W. S., Smith, P. A., & Maika, S. (2014). Examining the impact of classroom

relationships on student engagement: a multilevel analysis. ​Journal of School Public

Relations, ​35(1), 80+. Retrieved from

http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/apps/doc/A430548665/AONE?u=uwsydne

y&sid=AONE&xid=2f06d79c

Murray, C., & Greenberg, M. T. (2000). Childrens Relationship with Teachers and Bonds with

School An Investigation of Patterns and Correlates in Middle Childhood. ​Journal of

School Psychology, ​38(5), 423-445. doi:10.1016/s0022-4405(00)00034-0

Quin, D. (2016). Longitudinal and Contextual Associations Between Teacher–Student

Relationships and Student Engagement. ​Review of Educational Research, ​87(2),

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345-387. doi:10.3102/0034654316669434

Roorda, D. L., Koomen, H. M., Spilt, J. L., & Oort, F. J. (2011). The Influence of Affective

Teacher–Student Relationships on Students’ School Engagement and Achievement.

Review of Educational Research, ​81(4), 493-529. doi:10.3102/0034654311421793

Studsrød, I., & Bru, E. (2011). Upper secondary school students’ perceptions of teacher

socialization practices and reports of school adjustment. ​School Psychology

International, ​33(3), 308-324. doi:10.1177/0143034311412841

Yunus, M. M., Osman, W. S., & Ishak, N. M. (2011). Teacher-student relationship factor

affecting

motivation and academic achievement in ESL classroom. ​Procedia - Social and

Behavioral Sciences, ​15, 2637-2641. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.04.161

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Part B: Data Collection Protocol:

Data is collected through the use of a survey designed to understand how students feel their

learning and behaviour in class is shaped by their relationship with their teacher.

The link to the survey is:​ ​https://goo.gl/forms/mA79bguARmnan1fs2

Screenshots of the survey are below:

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Consent form:
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Part C: Data Collection Protocol Explanation:

For optimal results, the survey should have more than 20 participants, ideally as large a

pool of respondents as possible to maximise the data gathered. The participants should be

recruited from secondary schools across a range of socio-economic groups and geographical

locations. However, in the interest of localising and contextualising the information gathered, the

participants should be drawn from schools across the Greater Sydney region specifically. For

the accuracy of the answers, participants should be current students.​ ​There is no restriction on

students being native English speakers or not, nor any restriction on students with physical or

mental disabilities or learning difficulties. These participants in particular are being recruited to

give a broad sample of students across the Greater Sydney area and to give multiple diverse

experiences of teacher-student relationships and engagement in the wider school context.

The collection protocol of a self-reporting survey was designed after completing an

extensive literature review, as several meta-analysis found that surveys completed by students

was the most predominant way to assess teacher-student relationships in the existing research

(Quin, 2016, Roorda, Koomen, Spilt, and Oort 2011). The use of surveys becomes obvious

when considering the desired number of participants, it is not reasonable to interview dozens if

not hundreds or even thousands of students. Surveys are far easier to administer to participants

and then to collate the information obtained. The questions presented in the survey assess both

positive and negative relationships between teachers and students, and assess academic

achievement, student behaviour, topic interest, and more broadly student engagement on a

scale of ‘Strongly disagree’, ‘Disagree’, ‘Neutral’, ‘Agree,’ and ‘Strongly agree’, to give students

the ability to choose the option that resonates with them the most.
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The survey was created to give further insight on teacher-student relationships in the

Greater Sydney region, as while the two meta-analysis’ found in the literature review had

several studies made in Australia, none of the individual reviews focused on an Australian

perspective. In the interests of a local perspective, this survey is specifically for the data

collection of Greater Sydney region students.

The guiding principles of informed consent have been used in the creation of this data

collection protocol. No participant will be identified as no demographic data will be collected

beyond student’s gender and which year of school they are in. Every participant has the

opportunity to withdraw from the research and have their results removed from the survey

without repercussion. Every participant will have the purpose of the survey explained to them,

and will be given a consent form before they attempt the survey.
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References for part C:

Quin, D. (2016). Longitudinal and Contextual Associations Between Teacher–Student

Relationships and Student Engagement. ​Review of Educational Research, ​87(2),

345-387. doi:10.3102/0034654316669434

Roorda, D. L., Koomen, H. M., Spilt, J. L., & Oort, F. J. (2011). The Influence of Affective

Teacher–Student Relationships on Students’ School Engagement and Achievement.

Review of Educational Research, ​81(4), 493-529. doi:10.3102/0034654311421793