Risky students

Students characteristics are risk factors for problematic relationships.

1. Boys typically have more conflict and less closeness in their relationships with teachers then girls (Baker,2006;Blankemeyer, flannery & Vazsonyi 2002).
2. Students with more internalizing problems(e.g depression,anxiety) show greater dependency on their teachers than their average counterparts (Henricsson & Rydell,2004), where as students with more  externalizing problems (e.g aggression, problem behaviors) show more conflicts with teachers (Murray & Murray,2004).
3. Students with problematic relationship with family members tent to have poorer quality relationships with their teachers (O'Connor & McCartney, 2006).
4. Students who exhibit more problem behaviors at home and school tend to develop more conflictual  and less close relationships with their teachers (Murray & Greenberg,2001).  
5. Bold preschool students with poorly developed language skills are perceived by their teachers as more conflicts relationships. Shy preschool students with better language skills are perceived by their teachers as more dependent upon them (Rudaill et al ;2006). 
6. For students at risk for problematic teacher student relationships teachers needed to make extra efforts to make offer the social and emotional support likely to help them meet the challenges they face in school.

Question about teacher student relationship

10. How are positive teacher student relationships linked to classroom climate?

Improving teacher student relationships constitutes only a first step toward creating a classroom community that is conducive to children's social and academic development. For more information ,see"Teacher -student relationships &classroom climate".

Queation about teacher student relationships

9: Are positive teacher-student relationships a"magic bullet"?

No, positive teacher-student relationships are only one part of a teacher' repertoire of classroom managements and discipline strategies. High quality relationships only complements other aspects of classroom management. Further more, it is not possible to develop positive relationships with every student. As a teacher, you can strive toward accomplishing that goal but realize that having an ideal relationship with each student may be unobtainable.

Question about teacher student relationship.

8: How do you evaluate teacher-student relationship?

Several common and readily available instruments have been developed to assess teacher-student relationships. Although used primarily for research, these instruments can also serve as diagnostic tools to identify strengths and weakness in your own teaching. Some of these instruments rely on teacher reports of relationships, other are observationally-based measures of teacher-student interactions in the classroom, and yet other rely on student's reports of their relationships with teachers. One particularly   innovative technique to use with young children relies on children's drawings of their teachers.For a description of these measures, see"measure of teacher- student relationships.


There are less formal ways to access your relationships with children. If you have particular child with whom you have had a challenging relationships, you might invite a school psychologist into your classroom to observe your interactions, take notes and reflect with you about the child. Alternatively, you can setup a video camera and critique your own interactions with the student who is causing you difficulty. Another strategy is to directly ask your students. you can give them anonymous questionnaires or ask small groups of students about how they feel while they are in your classroom. Through this process, it is important to realize that even the best teachers have difficulties with a few students from time to time. The reasons for these difficulties are numerous and getting help from a collaboration teacher, the school psychologist, or a supportive administrator may offer you an outside view of what is occurring and help you improve your relationships with the challenging students in your classroom.   

question about teacher student relationships

6: Do positive teacher student relationships work for all school subjects?

Positive teacher-student relationships play an equally important role in students' success across all subjects (McCombs & Miller, 2006). Students' social and emotional needs are present throughout the day and the year, regardless of the subject being taught.

Question about teacher student relationships

7. Are there unintended consequences associate with creating positive teacher- student relationships?

Ideally, classroom environment need to be nurturing while at the same time holding students high academic standers. Classrooms that focus on nurturance  without offering opportunities for academic learning do not produce increases in students' achievement(Lee&smith,1999).