While there is emerging research into the teacher behaviours that contribute to positive student-teacher relationships from the perspective of students (Suldo, 2009; Wilkins, 2006), there is a lack of research investigating teachers’ evaluation of their own behaviours and how these behaviours are believed to contribute to the
development of strong bonds with students. This perspective is important to investigate, as teachers have been shown to hold different views on student-teacher relationships than students, parents, and administrators. In their study of Maori students in New Zealand mainstream classes, Bishop, Berryman and Richardson (2002) investigated the influences on student achievement from the perspective of students, parents, principals and teachers. Teacher-student relationships were regarded as having the greatest influence on Maori educational achievement
according to students, parents, and principals. Surprisingly, teachers viewed Maori student achievement as resulting from student attitudes and disposition, their home lives and/or the structure of the school. The teachers in the study did not view the bonds they had formed with students as significantly influencing student
achievement and regarded achievement deficit as a problem mostly beyond their control.
Despite a lack of recognition of their positive influence on students, teachers still value the bonds that they form with their students. Research has shown that relationships with students are among the most satisfying facets of the profession (Dinham & Scott, 1997; Shann, 1998), and can contribute to an improved sense of job satisfaction (Goldstein & Lake, 2000). Shann’s 1998 study of teacher job satisfaction involving questionnaires and interviews with 92 urban middle school teachers ranked teacher-student relationships as the most important variable in teacher satisfaction.
Closely linked with job satisfaction is teacher morale. According to teachers in a cross-cultural study that included seven nations, the most important factor influencing teacher professional enthusiasm and/or discouragement were the students’
responsiveness and enthusiasm (Stenlund, 1995). If students are indeed so crucial an element in maintaining teacher morale, then the relationships they form with teachers
can play an important role in supporting positive learning environments. Students’ positive attitudes toward school have been linked to being liked by teachers (Wentzel, 1994). It can then be assumed that through the development of positive teacher- student relationships, students will display increasingly positive attitudes, which will in turn contribute to higher teacher morale. The reciprocal nature of these
relationships indicate their value to maintaining teaching morale, something critical in a profession with an attrition rate of 25-40% within the first five years of starting a career (Darling-Hammond, 1998; Ewing & Smith, 2003; Hunt & Carroll, 2003; Ramsey, 2000). Aside from job satisfaction and morale, teachers’ perceptions of their relationships with students have been shown to impact upon their job performance. Poor teacher-student relationships have been associated with high teacher stress and low teaching competency (Koomen, Verschueren, & Pianta, 2007). Similarly, links have been shown to exist between the quality of teachers’ instruction and their
preferences for their students (Perry & Weinstein, 1998; Sweet, Guthrie, & Ng, 1998).
For teachers of gifted and talented students, developing strong relationships can help to address the essential skills for working with the gifted. Three essential skills for working with gifted students were identified by Van Tassel-Baska, MacFarlane, and Feng (2008) as: a strong knowledge base and effective use of a variety of teaching techniques, strong communication skills, and the ability to understand and address student needs. The presence of strong student-teacher relationships improves communication and is founded on a basis of understanding each other’s needs. Further, teachers of gifted students have been found to recognise the importance of having positive relationships with their students. In her study of teacher perceptions and practices regarding gifted adolescent social and emotional development, Greene (2003) found that teachers of gifted students believed it was their responsibility to address both the academic needs and the social/emotional needs of their pupils. “The most frequently mentioned teacher responsibility pertaining to adolescent social and emotional development was building relationships or rapport with students. Teachers described an essential part of their jobs as ‘getting to know kids’” (p. 94). Kesner (2005) compared the perceptions of 95 teachers of gifted students with the perceptions of 162 teachers of non-gifted students using the Student Teacher Relationship Scale (Pianta, 1991). He found that teachers of gifted students reported the same level of closeness with their students and lower levels of conflict than their counterparts did.
This suggested that teachers of gifted students had more positive relationships than the other participants. Teachers of gifted students also reported a significantly higher degree of dependency on the part of their students, which supports previous research that gifted students are more profoundly affected by the interactions they have with their teachers compared to non-gifted students (Croft, 2003).
Students with EBD have been described by teachers as “tough-to-teach” (Shores & Wehby, 1999; Sutherland, Lewis-Palmer, Stichter, & Morgan, 2008). These students present academic and behavioural challenges that affect the nature of their interactions with teachers (Sutherland, Lewis-Palmer, Stichter, & Morgan, 2008) and often causes peers and teachers to reject them (Kauffman, 2001). The expectations teachers have of students with EBD – positive or negative – combined with their confidence in their ability to teach these students has been found to influence the nature of their
interactions with the students (Poulou & Norwich, 2002). Teachers have been found to value behaviours that display study skills, academic achievement, and positive classroom demeanour more than they value behaviours displaying effective
interpersonal and problem-solving skills (Kerr & Zigmund, 1986; Walker & Rankin, 1983). Unfortunately, these behaviours are not frequently displayed by students with EBD. Further, compared to their generalist contemporaries, special education
teachers have demonstrated differences in the way they view social skills competency. Special education teachers placed greater value on self-control skills than their
counterparts did (Lane, Wehby, & Cooley, 2006) which could negatively influence collaboration to meet the needs of students with EBD.
Therefore, students with EBD are faced with expectations from their teachers that are at times contrary to the resulting
characteristics of having EBD, do not emphasize support for positive social skill development, and are not consistent. Such a situation can only further inhibit the development of supportive relationships between teachers and students with EBD. (Mihalas, Morse, Allsopp, & McHatton, 2009, p. 115)
It is clear that positive student-teacher relationships are of importance to teachers. Their existence boosts morale, and increases job satisfaction and performance.
However, the literature does not address teachers’ perceptions of their own behaviours that contribute to good relationships with their students. Ang (2005) purports that the only validated self-report measure of teachers’ perceptions of these relationships that
is widely accepted is the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS; Pianta, 2001). However, the STRS is intended for use with early primary school (K-3) students. While other scales and studies measure the quality of student-teacher relationships, few, if any, address the specific behaviours that high school teachers identify as contributing to positive relationships with their students. It is important to understand the teacher behaviours that secondary school teachers believe help develop strong relationships with their students. This may help to better understand why their views may differ from that of students (Wilkins, 2006), elementary teachers (Hargreaves, 2000), and parents (Bishop, Berryman, & Richardson, 2002). Regardless of the differing perspectives on the student-teacher relationship, the literature is clear that these bonds are valued by both students and teachers. This review will now explore the research that evidences the importance of good student-teacher relationships in educational settings.