Inclusive Education for International Students: Applications of a Constructivist Framework

International students are a globally growing population that have numerous risk factors to their successful matriculation. One classroom tool university instructors have to combat these risk factors is utilizing an inclusive pedagoglogical framework. Instructors of international students that wish to apply an inclusive pedagogy to meet the needs of all students are lacking in concrete examples and strategies. This manuscript expands upon the idea of constructivist education as a type of inclusive pedagogy and uses the Constructive Supervision Process (Guiffrida, 2015) to provide a methodology for instructors of internationals students.  The tenents of the model are described in practical detail and a table of examples is provided

Assessments of Student-Teacher Relationships in Residential Treatment Center Schools

Students in residential treatment center (RTC) schools are likely to have histories of extreme or ongoing relational trauma (e.g., abuse and neglect by primary caregivers), have substantial interpersonal and relationship problems, and exhibit many high-risk behaviors. Accordingly, these students may have particular difficulty forming positive relationships with teachers, yet student-teacher relationship quality in RTC schools has not been empirically studied. This study examines links between RTC school students’ assessments of their relationships with teachers and their perceptions of self and others. Participants were 113 students in 2 RTC schools from 5th to 12th grade. Results indicate that male and female RTC students’ positive perceptions (of self and others) are linked to positive assessments of their relationships with teachers. However, for girls in RTC schools, negative perceptions of self are linked to less positive assessments of the teacher-student relationship. Implications are discussed

A longitudinal study of student–teacher relationship quality, difficult temperament, and risky behavior from childhood to early adolescence

Abstract This study examines the mediating role of student–teacher relationship quality (conflict and closeness) in grades 4, 5, and 6 on the relation between background characteristics, difficult temperament at age 4½ and risky behavior in 6th grade. The longitudinal sample of participants (N = 1156) was from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate paths from (a) background characteristics to student–teacher relationship quality and risky behavior, (b) temperament to student–teacher relationship quality and risky behavior, and (c) student–teacher relationship quality to risky behavior. Findings indicate that students’ family income, gender, receipt of special services, and more difficult temperament were associated with risky behavior. In addition, student–teacher conflict was a mediator. Students with more difficult temperaments were more likely to report risky behavior and to have conflict in their relationships with teachers. More conflict predicted more risky behavior. Closer student–teacher relationships were associated with less risky behavior. Results suggest negative relationships, specifically student–teacher relationships, may increase the risk that certain adolescents will engage in risky behavior