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About this paper symposium
| Panel information |
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| Panel 8. Education, Schooling |
| Paper #1 | |
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| Teacher-Student Relationships and Children’s Adjustment are Associated Within- and Between-Persons from Kindergarten to Grade 6 | |
| Author information | Role |
| Sophia Magro, Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, United States | Presenting author |
| Daniel Berry, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Alyssa R. Palmer, Semel Institute for Neuroscience, University of California Los Angeles, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
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Teacher-student relationship quality is associated with a host of indicators of child adjustment (Lei et al., 2016; Magro et al., 2023; Roorda et al., 2017, 2020). However, few prior studies have used appropriate modeling approaches to explicitly document the intraindividual, dynamic processes that link teacher-student relationships with children’s adjustment. The present study builds upon prior work by using bias-adjusted Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS; Pianta, 2001) scores to document the within-person developmental processes that link teacher-student relationship quality with key developmental outcomes (including social competence, academic competence, and externalizing symptoms) from kindergarten through Grade 6, at home and school. Data were drawn from the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, which followed 1,364 families from infancy (51.7% female, 80.4% White, 12.9% Black, 6.1% Hispanic). Teachers completed the STRS (Pianta, 2001) to assess teacher-student closeness and conflict. Teachers and mothers completed the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS; Gresham & Elliott, 1990) to assess social competence. Teachers also completed the academic competence SSRS subscale. Academic achievement was measured with the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery (Woodcock-Johnson, 1989). Teachers and mothers completed the Teacher Report Form or Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 1991) to report on externalizing symptoms. Teacher-reported variables were collected annually from kindergarten through Grade 6 (or Grade 5, in the case of academic competence). Mother-reported variables and the Woodcock-Johnson were available in Grades 1, 3, and 5. Within- and between-person bivariate associations were estimated using a series of autoregressive latent trajectory models with structured residuals (ALT-SR; Curran et al., 2014). The ALT-SR estimates cross-lagged, longitudinal associations at the within-person level. Twelve models (Figure 1) were estimated to assess the reciprocal associations between teacher-student closeness and conflict and each of the child adjustment variables (i.e., teacher- and mother-reported social skills and externalizing symptoms; teacher-reported academic competence; and academic achievement). In general, findings showed that in years when a child had a better relationship with their teacher, they also tended to have better adjustment at home and school (Table 1). Over time, within-person variations in teacher-student conflict predicted subsequent teacher- and mother-reported externalizing symptoms and academic achievement, whereas variations in teacher-student closeness predicted subsequent academic achievement. Thus, improvements in teacher-student relationship quality could be a mechanism by which children’s trajectories of externalizing symptoms and academic achievement may be altered. Conversely, within-person variations in teacher-reported externalizing symptoms and mother-reported social competence predicted subsequent conflict, whereas teacher-reported externalizing symptoms and academic achievement predicted subsequent closeness. These findings suggest that teachers may require support to build relationships with children who have lower social skills, have more behavior problems in the classroom, or are struggling academically. Taken together, the findings from this study support the conclusion that within-person developmental processes link teacher-student relationship quality with prior, concurrent, and subsequent indicators of competence across settings. Future studies are needed to extend these findings in independent and more diverse samples, explore the influence of teacher-student relationships at different time scales, and understand the extent to which the impact of teacher-student relationships varies across different levels of risk. |
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| Paper #2 | |
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| Breaking the Mold: Revisiting the Impact of Teacher-Student Relationships on Achievement | |
| Author information | Role |
| Dr. Daniel B. Hajovsky, Texas A&M University, United States | Presenting author |
| Dr. Steven Chesnut, University of Missouri-Kansas City, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Stephanie Liu, Texas A&M University, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Colin Johns, Texas A&M University, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
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In the past two decades, several prominent studies utilizing growth curve modeling and cross-lagged regressions via longitudinal panel modeling have shown a positive predictive relationship between teacher-student relationship (TSR) quality and achievement (Engels et al., 2021; Hajovsky et al., 2024; Hughes et al., 2012). Both analytic approaches have their strengths and limitations; most importantly, findings extrapolated from this research base cannot fully account for directionality in developmental change processes between TSR quality and achievement. Growth curve models are limited in their ability to examine shared variance between wave-by-wave measures of multiple constructs, and longitudinal panel models are often unable to fully account for individual trajectories of change in a construct beyond the autoregressive and cross-lagged associations. Recently, Hajovsky and Chesnut (2023) addressed these limitations by employing dual change score modeling, a type of latent change score model, to examine the complex longitudinal relation between TSR quality and achievement (see Figure 1 for hypothesized example). Latent change score models overcome the limitations of growth curve models and longitudinal panel models by simultaneously accounting for individual growth trajectories, while estimating the reciprocal effect of construct variation over time. Hajovsky and Chesnut (2023) found that contrary to prior findings, TSR quality was not predictive of subsequent reading and mathematics achievement, and vice versa, in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Kindergarten Cohort study. The purpose of the current paper is to replicate this dual change score modeling in a different longitudinal dataset, representing a different generational cohort and set of measured timepoints, to test the accuracy of these prior findings and compare against commonly used growth curve models and longitudinal panel models. The sample for this paper was drawn from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 1,364), which represents children born in the USA in the early 1990s. Approximately 52% of the children were male, with the remainder female. Most of the children were White (80%), with fewer being African American (13%), Hispanic (6%), and Asian (2%). Approximately 9% of the children in the sample were identified as being raised in a family whose income was below the poverty line. By second grade, approximately 30% of children had received special education services. Due to the availability of data, we retained responses collected annually between first grade (academic year 1997) and sixth grade (academic year 2002), which resulted in an analytic sample of 942 children. TRS quality was measured using the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (Pianta, 2001), whereas math and reading achievement were assessed using the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery (Woodcock-Johnson, 1989). Results corroborate Hajovsky and Chesnut (2023), indicating there were no reciprocally causal associations between TSR quality and reading or mathematics achievement after accounting for the associations in growth trajectories of these constructs, calling into question decades of prior findings. These new findings show consistency across dual change score models with longitudinal data collected from two different generational cohorts. Additionally, results underscore the need to engage in replication studies using innovative methodological approaches and analytic techniques with different samples. |
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| Paper #3 | |
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| Capturing Classroom Relational Climate Using Teacher Ratings of Relational Quality with Individual Students | |
| Author information | Role |
| Pilar Alamos, Ph.D., Pontificia Universidad Catolica De Chile, Chile | Presenting author |
| Catherine Corbin, University of Florida, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Jason Downer, University of Virginia, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Joshua Brown, Fordham University, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
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The importance of teacher-student relational quality for student learning and development has long been recognized (e.g., Hamre & Pianta, 2001). Yet, much of this work comes from teacher ratings of relational quality with individual students, without much consideration that teachers establish and maintain relationships with many students in the classroom simultaneously. This gap is particularly salient given evidence that relationship representations are hierarchically organized by different levels of specificity (Sibley & Overall, 2008, 2010), and that these different levels may be differentially related to student outcomes (Crowell et al., 2018). When applied to teachers, relationship-specific representations with individual students (student level) may be organized within midlevel representations of their relationship with the group (classroom level), but this idea has not been empirically tested. The current study therefore pairs conceptual thinking about this “midlevel representation” (henceforth, the classroom relational climate) with empirical evidence to support its existence at the classroom-level. This paper will report results from internal and external construct validity (Grimm & Wadaman, 2012) for the classroom relational climate. Data come from the efficacy trial of a social-emotional learning program; only baseline (pre-randomization) data were used in the current study. The sample includes 330 teachers and 5,081 students spanning 3rd-4th grade public school classrooms. Students were racially diverse (66% Latino, 22% Black, 6% White, and 6% Other), and most of them came from low-income households. Most teachers were female (91%) and reported an average of 7.16 years of experience. Teachers completed the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS; Pianta, 2001) to report on their perceived relational closeness and conflict with individual students for each consented student in the classroom (M = 17, SD = 4.74; range = 3–29). To examine internal construct validity for the classroom relational climate, we used multilevel confirmatory factor analysis (ML-CFA; Stapleton et al., 2016). Specifically, we: (a) fitted a two-factor structure (closeness and conflict) at both the classroom (between) and student (within) levels and (b) tested for cross-level invariance. Once the model was established, we explored its external construct validity—particularly convergent validity—by examining links between classroom relational closeness and conflict with three conceptually related constructs: student-reported quality of their relationship and interactions with the teacher; student-reported aggression; and, observed teacher-student interactions. Results provide support for the existence of classroom-level relational closeness and conflict constructs, as evidenced by the cross-level invariant model showing acceptable fit (χ2 = 2350.143, df = 217, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.903; RMSEA = 0.048; SRMRwithin = 0.066; SRMRbetween = 0.093). Standardized factor loadings at both levels are displayed in Table 1. We also found evidence for convergent validity for classroom relational conflict, but not for closeness (see Table 2). Grounded in the importance of teacher-student relationships as resources for students’ development in classroom contexts, results suggest the need to consider the classroom relational climate, which has implications for more comprehensive understanding of relational dynamics in classroom contexts. |
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| Paper #4 | |
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| Classroom Relational Climate in Relation to Elementary Students’ Academic Achievement and Social-Emotional Development | |
| Author information | Role |
| Dr. Catherine Corbin, Ph.D., University of Florida, United States | Presenting author |
| Pilar Alamos, Pontificia Universidad Catolica De Chile, Chile | Non-presenting author |
| Jason Downer, University of Virginia, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Joshua Brown, Fordham University, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
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Research has consistently demonstrated the critical role that dyadic teacher-student relational quality plays related to students’ development (e.g., Hamre & Pianta, 2001; Spilt et al., 2012). While teachers construct dyadic relationship representations that guide how they form actual relationships with individual students, they may similarly have group relationship representations (i.e., mid-level representations; hereafter, classroom relational climate) that set the relational tone of the classroom and guide how teachers interact with and respond to all their students (Sibley & Overall, 2008, 2010). Despite strong guiding theory and empirical support (see paper 3 abstract), little is known about if and how classroom relational climate promotes students’ school success (Buyse et al., 2009; Howes et al., 2000). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which classroom relational closeness and conflict are associated with students’ reading and math achievement, social competence, and aggressive behavior over and above dyadic relational quality and other conceptually similar constructs (e.g., classroom interactions). Data come from a cluster randomized efficacy trial of a social-emotional reading intervention paired with a teacher coaching model. The analytic sample included 5,081 third and fourth grade students (51% girls, 49% boys) within 330 classrooms and 60 public elementary schools. Students identified as Latino/a (60%), Black (22%), White (6%), and Other (6%), and 84% came from low-income households. Teachers were racially diverse (39% White, 22% Black, 28% Latino/a, 11% Other) and reported an average of 11 years of experience (SD = 7.56). Outcome measures included standardized mathematics and English language arts test scores and teacher-reports of students’ social competence and aggressive behavior, each collected in Fall and Spring of one academic year. Teachers reported on dyadic relational quality for each student in their classroom using the STRS (Pianta, 2001), which were aggregated to the classroom-level to operationalize classroom relational closeness and conflict. Baseline measures of each outcome and additional teacher (e.g., years of experience, intervention status) and student (e.g., low-income status) demographics were included as covariates. Random intercept multilevel models were used to examine the association between classroom relational closeness and conflict and outcomes of interest, which all had substantial and significant variance either between classrooms (level 2) or between classrooms and schools (level 3). Results indicate that, adjusting for the quality of observed classroom interactions and dyadic relational quality to isolate the influence of classroom relational climate, classroom relational conflict was associated with significant decreases in students’ math achievement (b = -4.52, p < .05) and marginally associated with decreases in social competence (b = -.06, p < .10). Conversely, classroom relational closeness was significantly associated with increased social competence (b = .09, p < .01). No other significant associations emerged. These findings provide preliminary evidence that classroom relational climate contributes to students’ development over and above dyadic relational quality and observed classroom interactions. More work is needed to illuminate which aspects of students’ development are most impacted by classroom relational climate, as well as effective ways to promote a classroom relational climate conducive to students’ school success. |
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Advancements in Quantitative Methods that Illuminate the Complex, Multi-level Role of Teacher-Student Relationships
Submission Type
Paper Symposium
Description
| Session Title | Advancements in Quantitative Methods that Illuminate the Complex, Multi-level Role of Teacher-Student Relationships |