Elizabeth Goff University of West Georgia

1. Teacher-Student Relationships: A Study of Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Roles and Responsibilities and Their Relational Management Practices Elizabeth Goff University of West Georgia

2. Personal Reflection • Experience as an Early Childhood Ed. Teacher • Success with classroom management • Many struggle with this aspect of the job • The Teacher Student Relationship (TSR) was the heart of my success • What do we know about TSRs and teachers fostering them? • How do these teachers define themselves? • How can we use this information?

3. What do we know about Teacher-Student Relationships and about teachers who foster them? Review of Literature

4. What the Literature Tells Us: • Behavioral Outcomes for Students: • Better student behavior (pro-social) • Better attendance rates • Lower drop-out rates • Affective Outcomes for Students: • Positive feelings about school • Greater motivation to perform • Higher self-esteem • Better peer relationships • Academic Outcomes for Students: • Studies report greater math and literacy outcomes • Higher levels of critical and creative thinking • Greater levels of engagement in school work

5. Characteristics of Teachers: • Race/ethnicity/age does not play a role • Gender: female teachers • Experience: less than 7 years of experience • Engage in the following behaviors: • Set expectations and guide students • Set a tone of support and mutual respect • Have an awareness of students’ needs

6. How do these teachers define themselves? Methodology and Results

7. Research Question: How do elementary teachers perceive their roles and responsibilities as teachers and what do these perceptions appear to have on quality teacher-student relationships?

8. Plan for Research

9. Study Findings Teacher Roles Teacher Responsibilities Get to know the whole child Set clear expectations Provide a positive environment Demonstrate care/love Foster mutual respect Develop a connection with each student Transition student to independence Teach the curriculum* • Guide • Nurturer/Caregiver • Facilitator • Supporter • Teacher of standards/curriculum*

10. Study Findings Participants believed that relationships were necessary for positive student outcomes • “I think if you have taken the time to develop that rapport with the student and developed that relationship, you can get them where they need to be.” • “…they really appreciate that positive, and so they are trying to do their best for me. I think that their academics improve because of that. Their achievement will improve because of that positive relationship that I have built with them.” • “I think children will really learn and succeed and have positive feelings about learning and going to school.” (explaining outcomes of TSR) • “By interacting with a child, it helps them know that you care about them. It helps them gain confidence.”

11. Patterns across participant group… • Participant group was a fairly homogeneous group of teachers • Age range: 34-63 Median age: 41 • Years of experience range: 12-25 years Avg. experience: 17 years • All teachers were White and female • Diversity in student populations • Range in grade level placements: K-5

12. How can we use this information? Recommendations and Action Plan

13. The Power of Perception

14. Recommendations • Begin with pre-service teachers • Provide a component on relational management practices within the classroom management course based on these roles/responsibilities • Use the University Supervisor position to highlight relational practices • Journal feedback • Observation feedback • Include a discussion with regard to roles and responsibilities and management practices within courses • Develop a teacher training module around the “how to’s” for developing quality teacher-student relationships in the classroom using these perceived responsibilities as a basis for that module • Principals should consider teacher perceptions of roles and responsibilities as they search for the best teachers to fill positions in their schools

15. Personal Reflections and Action Plan • Consider my role as an online educator of college students, and how this work translates to my practices • Put more opportunities for interaction into my courses • Attempt to get to know my students better • Talk with supervisors at CTC and KSU • Discuss possibility of presentation for practicum students/student teachers • Training for University Supervisors

16. Questions or Comments? Discussion