STUDENT TEACHER RELATIONSHIPS

Teachers actively cultivating relationships with their students at the high school level is crucial because the positive benefits are substantive factors in the students success inside and outside the classroom. When teachers build relationships with their students that are positive, the academic, emotional, and developmental needs of the student are more likely to be met (Rimm-Kaufman and Sandilos). For example, the positive benefit of increased engagement resulting from a supportive and caring student-teacher relationship are critical because research indicates that high levels of student engagement is substantive predictor for a students achievement and behaviour, irrespective of the students socioeconomic status (Klem and Connell 262-263). Further, these engaged students have a greater likelihood of achieving higher grades and test scores along with reduced drop-out rates compared to students who are disengaged (Klem and Connell 262-263). The research pointedly indicates that teachers developing positive relationships with their students result in benefits that range from helpful to critically necessary for all students in the classroom.

​

A secondary implication from this inquiry is the realization that there are specific actions and behaviours teachers can engage in, in an effort to yield, and possibly maximize, positive benefits for their students. I have divided the multitude of behaviours of acting into four set categories that I identified as umbrella terms, and most important: Communication, Closeness, Independence, and Emotional Support. These characteristics can be incorporated into the daily interaction of the teacher with their students, and used to achieve positive student-teacher relationships.