Teacher-student relationships impact progress

How important are relationships between teachers and students in the context of academic achievement and motivation?

That was the focus of research by Victoria University graduate Dr Robin Averill who looked at teacher-student relationships in six different secondary school mathematics classrooms across Wellington.

“Teacher care is an essential component of effective student-teacher relationships and I was interested in the factors that contribute to developing and maintaining such relationships in low to mid socio-economic classrooms where there is also a predominance of Maori, Pasifika and NZ European students,” says Dr Averill.

Over two years, Dr Averill sat in on year 10 mathematics classes three times a year – the initial four weeks of the school year, and two weeks later in terms two and three – to collect data.

As part of her research for her PhD in Education, she looked at how teachers cared for students as individuals, their mathematical progress and how students were culturally located as individuals.

She also conducted interviews with teachers and students and had both groups fill out questionnaires.

“Within the holistic context of classroom wellbeing, characteristics of caring teacher-student relationships were found to be dispositional (liking, respecting, and being tolerant of each other, and being able to be oneself) as well as knowledge-based – knowing each other as people, knowing each other as learners, knowing and enhancing each others’ cultures.”

Dr Averill, who previously worked as a mathematics teacher in secondary schools, found that specific classroom practices supportive of respectful caring teacher-student relationships included using humour, one-to-one teacher-student interactions, making opportunities for sharing personal identities, and expecting mathematical progress.

“Mixed results were achieved regarding how deeply students value their cultural heritage and whether or not they believe this is reflected in their schools and classrooms. But there is strong evidence that for many Maori, Pasifika and low socio-economic students, mathematics teachers can enhance students’ motivation and achievement by using explicitly caring practices.”

Dr Averill is currently employed as a Senior Lecturer Mathematics Education in Victoria University’s School of Education Policy and Implementation, where she has worked for 11 years. She was supported in her degree by the NZ Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, as well as the Victoria University Foundation. Her supervisor was Associate Prof. Megan Clark.