About this session

Friday, 1:20 PM - 2:50 PM

Advancements in Quantitative Methods that Illuminate the Complex, Multi-level Role of Teacher-Student Relationships

Decades of research have demonstrated the positive influence of teacher-student relational (TSR) quality on students’ achievement and social-emotional development (Ansari et al., 2020; Hamre & Pianta, 2001; Spilt et al., 2012). This symposium leverages recent conceptual and methodological advances to extend and refine this body of work, moving toward a more robust understanding of if, when, and how TSR quality drives student outcomes. Studies 1 and 2 analyzed the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development dataset using different longitudinal modeling and came to opposing conclusions: TSR closeness and conflict promoted different student outcomes (study 1) or was unassociated with students’ achievement (study 2). Studies 3 and 4 analyzed data from the same 330 urban, public elementary school classrooms to operationalize TSR quality among 3rd and 4th grade students as a multilevel construct (study 3) and investigate how multilevel representations of TSR quality are associated with students’ achievement and social-emotional development (study 4). Findings validate dyadic relational quality and classroom relational climate as distinct constructs and indicate that classroom relational climate significantly influences students’ math achievement and social competence. Contrary findings from studies 1 and 2 raise questions about how methodological decisions can impact the study of dyadic teacher-student relationships in relation to student success over time. Findings from studies 3 and 4 provide novel empirical support for teachers’ mid-level representations of relationships with students and their relation to students’ development. All together, these studies facilitate a critical conversation about contemporary approaches to understanding TSR quality.

Paper #1
Title	Teacher-Student Relationships and Children’s Adjustment are Associated Within- and Between-Persons from Kindergarten to Grade 6
Presenting author	Sophia Magro, Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, United States

Paper #2
Title	Breaking the Mold: Revisiting the Impact of Teacher-Student Relationships on Achievement
Presenting author	Dr. Daniel B. Hajovsky, Texas A&M University, United States

Paper #3
Title	Capturing Classroom Relational Climate Using Teacher Ratings of Relational Quality with Individual Students
Presenting author	Pilar Alamos, Ph.D., Pontificia Universidad Catolica De Chile, Chile

Paper #4
Title	Classroom Relational Climate in Relation to Elementary Students’ Academic Achievement and Social-Emotional Development
Presenting author	Dr. Catherine Corbin, Ph.D., University of Florida, United States

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Session chairs
Dr. Catherine Corbin, Ph.D., University of Florida, United States; Jason Downer, Ph.D., , United States

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