Teacher Wellbeing: The Importance of Teacher–Student Relationships

Many studies have examined the importance of teacher-student relationships for the development of children. Much less is known, however, about how these relationships impact the professional and personal lives of teachers. This review considers the importance of teacher-student relationships for the wellbeing of teachers guided by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping of Lazarus (1991). Based on theories on interpersonal relationships, it is postulated that teachers have a basic need for relatedness with the students in their class that originates from the close proximity between teacher and student. It is discussed that teachers internalize experiences with students in representational models of relationships that guide emotional responses in daily interactions with students, and changes teacher wellbeing in the long run. In addition, the notion of mental representations of relationships at different levels of generalization could offer a window to understand how individual teacher-student relationships may affect the professional and personal self-esteem of teachers. Lastly, it is argued that the influence of student misbehavior on teacher stress may be more fully understood from a relationship perspective. The review shows that few studies have directly tested these propositions and offers suggestions for future research

Peer Victimization and Academic Achievement in a Multiethnic Sample: The Role of Perceived Academic Self-Efficacy

This study examines the link between perceived peer victimization and academic adjustment in an ethnically diverse sample of 1,895 Grade 6 students nested within 108 school classes. It was hypothesized that students’ academic self-efficacy mediates the (negative) link between victimization experiences and academic achievement outcomes. Multilevel analyses were used to test this hypothesis and to explore whether there are differences between ethnic minority and majority group children. Results indicated that peer victimization was negatively associated with both relative class-based, and absolute test-based measures of academic achievement. These associations were similar across different school classes. As expected, the link between victimization and achievement was mediated by perceived academic selfefficacy, suggesting that victimized students did less well academically because they considered themselves to be less competent. The lower perceived self-efficacy of victimized children could be partly attributed to lower global self-esteem and depressed affect. Results were largely similar for ethnic minority and majority group children.

Task-related Interactions between Kindergarten Children and their Teachers: The Role of Emotional Security

This study examined the emotional security of kindergarten children in dyadic task-related interactions with their teachers. In particular, it examined the interrelations between security, task behaviours (persistence and independence), social inhibition, and teachers’ support. Participants were 79 kindergartners (mean age = 69.7 months) and their 40 regular teachers. Children were selected to approach a normal distribution of social inhibition. Children and teachers were filmed during a dyadic interaction task outside the classroom. Three groups of independent observers rated children’s emotional security and their task behaviours, as well as teachers’ supportive behaviours. Multilevel modelling revealed a positive link between teachers’ support and emotional security. This link suppressed a negative relation between social inhibition and emotional security. In addition, emotional security was positively associated with children’s task behaviours and mediated part of the positive link between these behaviours and teachers’ support. Finally, security moderated the relation between support and persistence, such that the effect of teachers’ support on persistent behaviours was amplified for relatively insecure children. These results highlight the importance of considering emotional security when examining the interactions between kindergarten children and their teachers.

Teacher-Child Relationships and Pedagogical Practices: Considering the Teacher's Perspective

This study explored the link between teachers' reports of their relationships with individual kindergartners and their self-reported pedagogical practices toward these children. Two samples of kindergarten teachers were examined. They were questioned about, respectively, 117 and 167 children selected as socially inhibited, hyperactive, or average relative to their classmates. Multilevel regression analyses revealed significant associations between relationship characteristics and teachers' practices independent of children's behaviors. Teachers reported more socioemotional support and more behavior regulation for children with whom they reportedly had unfavorable (dependent, conflicted, or distant) relationships. Teachers' appraisals of children's behaviors partly mediated the links between their ratings of the teacher-child relationship and their practice reports. Results qualify the idea that supportive teacher behaviors are a defining characteristic of positive teacher-child relationships, and further underline the need to include teachers' relationship perceptions in practical assessments of children referred for emotional or behavioral problems

Teacher-Child Relationships and Pedagogical Practices: Considering the Teacher's Perspective

This study explored the link between teachers' reports of their relationships with individual kindergartners and their self-reported pedagogical practices toward these children. Two samples of kindergarten teachers were examined. They were questioned about, respectively, 117 and 167 children selected as socially inhibited, hyperactive, or average relative to their classmates. Multilevel regression analyses revealed significant associations between relationship characteristics and teachers' practices independent of children's behaviors. Teachers reported more socioemotional support and more behavior regulation for children with whom they reportedly had unfavorable (dependent, conflicted, or distant) relationships. Teachers' appraisals of children's behaviors partly mediated the links between their ratings of the teacher-child relationship and their practice reports. Results qualify the idea that supportive teacher behaviors are a defining characteristic of positive teacher-child relationships, and further underline the need to include teachers' relationship perceptions in practical assessments of children referred for emotional or behavioral problems.

Interpersonal behaviors and complementarity in interactions between teachers and kindergartners with a variety of externalizing and internalizing behaviors

The present study investigated whether the complementarity principle (mutual interactive behaviors are opposite on control and similar on affiliation) applies to teacher-child interactions within the kindergarten classroom. Furthermore, it was examined whether interactive behaviors and complementarity depended on children's externalizing and internalizing behaviors, interaction time, and interaction frequency. A total of 48 teachers and 179 selected kindergartners with a variety of externalizing and internalizing behaviors were observed in a small group task setting in the natural ecology of the classroom. Teachers' and children's interactive behaviors were rated by independent observers. Teachers reported about children's externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Multilevel analyses indicated that both teachers and children reacted complementarily on the control dimension but not on the affiliation dimension. Teachers showed more control and more affiliation toward children with higher levels of internalizing behavior. In addition, teachers displayed less affiliation toward children with higher levels of externalizing behavior, whereas those children did not show less affiliation themselves. Teachers' and children's complementarity tendencies on control were weaker if children had higher levels of externalizing behavior.publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Interpersonal behaviors and complementarity in interactions between teachers and kindergartners with a variety of externalizing and internalizing behaviors journaltitle: Journal of School Psychology articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2012.12.001 content_type: article copyright: Copyright © 2012 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.status: publishe