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Research into building Strong Teacher-Student Relationships
Research Abstract:
Research indicates that when teachers focus on personally connecting with their students on a deeper level, student self-agency and engagement in the learning process increase. Positive and meaningful teacher-student relationships involve students building rapport and trust with their teachers, thus cultivating a positive growth mindset. This study examined the academic and perceived relationship outcomes for staff and students participating in an established mentoring program using a new digital reflection tool called Along. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed to determine the perceived relationship outcomes for staff and students and the academic outcomes for students. The results of the study indicate that the Along program supported teacher mentors in creating the time, capacity, and structures to develop stronger mentor-mentee relationships but did not significantly change struggling student academic outcomes. Background and Need: Advances in neuroscience, child development, and social learning theory all emphasize that successfully building teacher-student relationships needs to be included in addressing the achievement gap. Although the research (Hammond, Jackson, 2015) has shown that relationship building is essential, there are few articulated or defined ways to instruct and support teachers on how to build authentic trusting relationships with their students, especially marginalized students of color, outside the teacher’s cultural lens. Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) research-based practices are grounded in the concept that academic motivation and meaningful participation improve through teachers building successful connections and relationships with their students. Capstone Research Poster
Literature ReviewLiterature Review:
Introduction: Teachers who create low-stress learning environments where students feel they can make mistakes and/or take risks without fear or ridicule are vital to creating a healthy student growth mindset and building self-agency. Research (Cook et al., 2018) has shown that building positive teacher-student relationships is the missing link to successfully bridging the achievement gap and engaging all students in the learning process. In addition, building positive teacher-student relationships has been shown to impact student performance and academic outcomes positively. However, few research-based examples or procedures have unveiled the secret recipe for “operationalizing” or quickly creating successful teacher-student relationships (Cook et al., 2018). The focus of this study is to determine if the structures and supports of the research-based Along digital reflection tool can enhance teacher-student relationships in an established high school mentoring support program. The literature and research supporting this study present the importance of teacher-student relationship building, the impact teacher-student relationships have on student academic success, and how student-teacher relationships promote student self-agency and engagement in the learning process. Literature Review Summary: The research detailed in my literature review indicated that developing and fostering successful teacher-student relationships and strategically utilizing technology improves the learning environment and students’ academic outcomes. Building teacher-student relationships through teachers using rapport and validation in a low-stress rigorous learning environment helps students believe they can succeed (Hammond, Jackson, 2015). The literature also reveals a genuine need for training, professional development, and institutional focus on facilitating TSRs. Focusing on teacher-student relationships would require a new direction and concentration on educational best practices since few research-based programs provide teachers with a systematic method or process to help them form teacher-student relationships. In addition, few studies have attempted to understand the student perspective in developing student-teacher relationships or providing students with a similar means or tool to connect with their teachers. The research reveals that building teacher-student relationships depends on the following factors: teachers’ ability and investment in forming relationships with their students, time, and the use of adaptive interactive technology. |
Design Process
Support and Next Steps
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