Publication year
2011
Citation Title
Teacher-child relationships and the development of academic and behavioral skills during elementary school: A within- and between-child analysis.
Journal Name
Child Development
Journal Volume
82
Issue Number
2
Page Numbers
601-616
DOI
10.1111/j.1467-8264.2010.01533.x
Summary
The relationships between teacher-child relationships, academic achievement, and behavioral problems were evaluated in a nationally representative sample of elementary school children. The findings indicate that the quality of relationships that teachers report having with children is associated with both academic achievement and behavior.
Key Findings
Teacher-child relationship quality (as assessed by the teacher) was positively associated with teacher reports of academic achievement but not student performance on standardized achievement tests.
Teacher-child relationship quality was negatively associated with the level of child behavior problems (as reported by both parents and teachers).
The importance of relationships with teachers for children’s academic achievement and behavior is consistent throughout elementary school.
Between kindergarten and fifth grade, children’s academic skills, teacher and mother-reported internalizing behaviors, and teacher-reported externalizing behaviors increased; mother-reported externalizing behaviors decreased over time.
Implications for Military Professionals
Collaborate with professionals in the field regarding ways to promote positive military child-teacher relationships
Offer staff training to civilian school systems on military culture; educators who better understand the uniqueness of the military child experience may be able to forge stronger relationships with these children
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer after-school tutoring to support military children who are struggling academically
Provide support groups to military children struggling with behavioral issues
Implications for Policy Makers
Encourage professional development for teachers aimed at enhancing supportive and responsive classroom practices
Recommend assessment of early and routine academic and behavioral functioning in order to identify youth who might benefit from early intervention
Methods
Longitudinal data were gathered annually from 10 sites across the United States when children were between kindergarten and sixth grade as part of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care.
Sites included Little Rock, AR; Irvine, CA; Lawrence, KS; Boston, MA; Philadelphia, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; Charlottesville, VA; Morganton, NC; Seattle, WA; and Madison, WI.
Academic achievement (standard assessment and teacher report), mother- and teacher-reported behavior problems, and teacher evaluated teacher-child relationship quality were the primary variables.
Participants
One thousand three hundred sixty-four children participated in the study.
The majority of youth were male (52%) and White (76%).
Children were assessed at ages 4-6 years (kindergarten) and ages 9-11 years (fifth grade).
Limitations
Rater bias may have influenced findings.
Other variables that were not included (e.g., classroom instructional characteristics) may contribute to the observed academic and behavioral trajectories.
Due to attrition over time, much of the data was imputed, which limits the validity of results.
Avenues for Future Research
Explore additional variables (e.g., child social competence) that might underlie observed associations between teacher-child relationship quality and teacher-reported academic achievement and behavior
Evaluate the interaction between instructional characteristics and teacher-quality relationships on academic and behavioral outcomes of military children
Replicate the study with a sample of military children
Focus
Civilian
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
Despite recent growth in research highlighting the potential of teacher–child relationships to promote children’s development during the early years of school, questions remain about the importance of these relationships across elementary school. Using data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care (N = 1,364), this study examines between- and within-child associations between teacher–child relationship quality and children’s academic achievement and behavior problems from kindergarten (ages 4–6 years) through 5th grade (ages 9–11 years). Results suggest that increases in teacher–child relationship quality are associated with improvements in teacher-reported academic skills and reductions in behavior problems consistently throughout elementary school. As children progressed from kindergarten through fifth grade, the importance of teacher–child relationship quality is unchanging.
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