Related Experiment Videos
The differential effect of the teacher-student interpersonal relationship on student outcomes for students with
Perry den Brok1, Jan van Tartwijk, Theo Wubbels
1Eindhoven School of Education, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands. p.j.d.brok@tue.nl
Background:
The differential effectiveness of schools and teachers receives a growing interest, but few studies focused on the relevance of student ethnicity for this effectiveness and only a small number of these studies investigated teaching in terms of the teacher-student interpersonal relationship. Furthermore, the methodology employed often restricted researchers to investigating direct effects between variables across large samples of students.
Aims:
This study uses causal modelling to investigate associations between student background characteristics, students' perceptions of the teacher-student interpersonal relationship, and student outcomes, across and within several population subgroups in Dutch secondary multi-ethnic classes.
Methods And Sample:
Multi-group structural equation modelling was used to investigate causal paths between variables in four ethnic groups: Dutch (N=387), Turkish first- and second-generation immigrant students (N=267), Moroccan first and second generation (N=364), and Surinamese second-generation students (N=101).
Results:
Different structural paths were necessary to explain associations between variables in the different (sub) groups. Different amounts of variance in student attitudes could be explained by these variables.
Conclusions:
The teacher-student interpersonal relationship is more important for students with a non-Dutch background than for students with a Dutch background. Results suggest that the teacher-student relationship is more important for second generation than for first-generation immigrant students. Multi-group causal model analyses can provide a better, more differentiated picture of the associations between student background variables, teacher behaviour, and student outcomes than do more traditional types of analyses.
Related Concept Videos
Surveys
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Factors Influencing Attraction I: Proximity
Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison
Self-Esteem and Culture