“She Calls Me by My Last Name”: Exploring Adolescent Perceptions of Positive Teacher-Student Relationships

Abstract

Interpersonal relationships during adolescence can be powerful avenues for personal development. As school is a universal context for youth, positive teacher-student relationships (TSRs) are one potential source for such developmentally promotive relationships. Unfortunately, research has shown a decline in the quality of teacher-student interactions as students progress through PK-12, which suggests a missed developmental opportunity. More research is needed to identify factors that contribute to positive TSRs, especially during adolescence. Utilizing qualitative methods, this study explores adolescent perceptions of TSRs in order to identify and understand key interactions and characteristics of high-quality, positive TSRs. We identified two overarching themes that emerged from our qualitative analysis: teacher noticing and teacher investment. Within these themes, we also examined the role of "free" and "same-level" conversations in promoting positive TSRs. Our findings contribute to research aimed at understanding specific processes that occur within positive youth-adult relationships. Specifically, we find promise in key teacher-student interactions that fulfill adolescents'

Humanizing and conducive to learning: an adolescent students’ perspective on the central attributes of positive relationships with teachers

“…We adopted this approach to maximize investigative depth and illuminative fertility (Shank and Villella 2004); the rationale was that applying an a priori theoretical framework was likely to limit the scope of analyses, directing them in pre-specified directions and reducing their sensitivity to new insights. The analyses included the six phases usually recommended for rigorous thematic analysis (see, e.g., Clarke et al 2015). In short, after several readings of the transcripts to familiarize with the data, a researcher proceeded with coding the transcriptions using an inductive iterative process.…”

“…As many other areas in psychology of education, the study of student-teacher relationships has been dominated by quantitative research, but qualitative studies have provided additional valuable insights. For example, they have been useful in voicing the perspectives of adolescents from immigrant communities (Reed and Wexler 2014) and juvenile offenders (Allen et al 2016) or to explore in more depth adolescents' views about specific aspects, such as the perception of being known (Chhuon and Wallace 2014) and the experiences of students that nominate a teacher as a very important person in their life (Yu et al 2018).…”

Understanding mutuality: Unpacking relational processes in youth mentoring relationships

“…Additionally, adolescents experience an increase in the salience of authenticity of self and other as they undergo processes of identity development (Harter, ). As such, adolescents are very perceptive of whether or not an adult is acting genuinely toward them, which can become either a major barrier or a major catalyst in forming connection (Yu, Johnson, Deutsch, & Varga, ). These unique developmental contexts highlight the importance of investigating mutuality in a context specific manner.…”

“It's like all of his attention is on you”: A mixed methods examination of attachment, supportive nonparental youth–adult relationships, and self‐esteem during adolescence

“…It is important to the note that the roles–both formal (e.g., teacher, coach) and informal (e.g., family friend)–the VIPs held informed the interactions they had with youth. With regard to formal VIP–youth relationships, one specific implication that emerged from this study is the significance of VIPs providing forms of emotional and validation support outside of their prescriptive roles in youths’ lives (for a discussion, see Yu, Johnson, Deutsch, & Varga, ). For example, with regard to school‐based VIPs (e.g., teachers, coaches), it was important to youth that these adults provided socioemotional support outside of academics and athletic training while, as previously stated, providing opportunities for them to showcase their strengths and perspectives.…”