Journal Article

Positive teacher-student relationships go beyond the classroom, problematic ones stay inside

van der Want, Anna C., Verloop, Nico, van Tartwijk, Jan, Pennings, Helena J. M., den Brok, Perry J., Claessens, Luce C. A., Wubbels, Theo

2017

Overview

The authors voice teachers' perceptions of their interpersonal experiences with students in both positive and problematic relationships. Interview data from 28 teachers were examined by coding utterances on teacher and student interactions. Results indicate that teachers defined the quality of the relationship mostly by the level of communion (friendly vs. hostile), instead of by the level of agency (in control vs. powerless). Analyses of mentioned teacher and student behavior show a friendly interactional pattern for positive relationships and a hostile pattern for problematic ones. In teachers' perceptions, positive and problematic relationships also differed in context where encounters take place and topic of talk. Contrary to interactions in problematic relationships, encounters in positive relationships were mostly situated outside the classroom context and conversations during these encounters covered a wide range of topics. Implications for teacher education programs are discussed.

• Publisher: Routledge,Taylor & Francis,Taylor & Francis Inc
• Subject: Authorial voice / Classroom communication / Coding / Context / Conversation / Foreign Countries / High School Students / High Schools / Interaction / Interpersonal communication / Interpersonal theory / Interviews / Mixed Methods Research / Questionnaires / Secondary School Teachers / Student Behavior / Student teacher relationship / Students / Teacher Attitudes / Teacher education / Teacher Education Programs / teacher perceptions / Teacher Student Relationship / teacher-student interactions / teacher-student relationships / Teachers / Topics