A study investigating the role of the teacher pupil relationship in affecting pupils' self-esteem and exploring pupil perceptions of a good teacher pupil relationship

Abstract

Teachers are expected to positively impact on the emotional wellbeing of their pupils and raise their self esteem as an outcome of this impact. It has been shown that teachers can contribute to raising the self-esteem of their pupils through different aspects of their role. An element which has been shown to have a significant impact on the self-esteem of pupils is the relationship between the teacher and pupil. Exploration of what a group of year 10 pupils perceive a good teacher pupil relationship to be revealed a number of factors. There were commonalities with the humanist approach to education in that, teacher qualities such as genuineness, prizing, acceptance and trust were identified as being involved in a good relationship. An emphasis was placed on the relationship being a working relationship, involving quality pedagogy and facilitating learning. In addition to this a need for communication was identified as being a key feature of the relationship. It was concluded that it would be beneficial to strike a balance between therapeutic underpinnings and quality pedagogy, to develop a good relationship between the teacher and their pupils. It is proposed that a good working relationships could facilitate learning and also impact positively on a pupil’s self-esteem and hence their overall emotional wellbeing.