Teachers' and pupils' views of teacher-pupil relationships through primary and middle school

Abstract

Research into teacher-pupil relationships is a rapidly expanding evidence-base with literature reporting these relationships to be fundamental to pupils’ psychological and academic development. Previous research focused on educational priorities of academic achievement, as opposed to social relationships and psychological well-being. The first paper critically reviews existing research using the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) as a measure of teachers’ views of teacher-pupil relationships through Primary and Middle School. The studies acknowledge the importance of teacher-pupil relationships and conclude close, supportive relationships which have low levels of conflict and dependency, significantly increase pupils’ social, emotional and behavioural development, and to a lesser degree, their academic achievement. As the research in the systematic literature review focused on teachers’ reports, pupils’ views are insufficiently represented. Due to this, the empirical research uses Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore the factors that Year 6 pupils’ think affect their relationships with their teachers through Primary School. Transcripts of semi-structured interviews with four pupils were analysed and three super-ordinate themes were produced to capture the essence of their interpretations of their lived experiences of their relationships with their teachers. Overall, the Year 6 pupils’ views were in line with those reported by teachers in previous research. A supportive, inclusive relationship, with low levels of conflict and opportunities for shared experiences outside of the typical learning environment promotes pupils’ social, emotional and behavioural development, as well as their level of engagement in learning and subsequently, their overall academic achievement.