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Teacher-student relationships as compensatory resources for aggressive children
Barbara T Meehan1, Jan N Hughes, Timothy A Cavell
1Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, USA. bmeehan@med.unc.edu
Child Development
|August 27, 2003
Summary
Positive teacher-student relationships significantly reduced aggression in young children, especially for African American and Hispanic students. This highlights the need for supportive educators to foster better outcomes for aggressive youth.
Area of Science:
- Child psychology
- Educational psychology
- Developmental psychology
Background:
- Aggression in children is a significant concern.
- Teacher-student relationships can influence child behavior.
- Existing research may not fully address ethnic differences in these dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between teacher-student relationship quality and aggression in aggressive children.
- To examine if this association differs across ethnic groups (African American, Hispanic, Caucasian).
- To test the moderating role of parent-child relationship quality.
Main Methods:
- A 2-year prospective study.
- Sample: 140 aggressive second- and third-grade children (mean age 8.18).
- Data collected on teacher-student and parent-child relationship quality, and child aggression.
Main Results:
- Positive teacher-student relationships were linked to lower aggression.
- This beneficial effect was stronger for aggressive African American and Hispanic children compared to Caucasian children.
- Parent-child relationship quality did not moderate the effect of teacher-student relationships on aggression.
Conclusions:
- Supportive teacher-student relationships are crucial for reducing aggression in children.
- Interventions should consider ethnic disparities, particularly for African American and Hispanic aggressive children.
- Future research should use multiple reporters for relationship quality.