A Mixed Methods Pilot Study of an Equity-Explicit Student-Teacher Relationship Intervention for the Ninth-Grade...

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• School Climate Research
• Equity in Education

Background:

• Student-teacher relationships significantly impact school's social-emotional climate.
• Limited interventions address student-teacher relationships during high school transition, especially with an equity focus.
• A mixed-methods feasibility study of the Equity-Explicit Establish-Maintain-Restore (E-EMR) intervention was conducted.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the effectiveness of the E-EMR intervention on student relationship quality, belonging, motivation, behavior, and academic outcomes.
• To examine if racial differences moderated the intervention's impact.
• To explore how teachers integrated equity into the intervention's implementation.

Main Methods:

• A feasibility study involving 133 students and 16 teachers.
• Pre- and post-testing of student outcomes.
• Qualitative examination of teachers' integration of equity principles.

Main Results:

• Students of color demonstrated greater improvements in belongingness, behavior, motivation, and GPA compared to white students.
• Teachers reported incorporating race/ethnicity, culture, and bias into E-EMR practices.
• Teacher implementation was influenced by personal identity, classroom context, and systemic power dynamics.

Conclusions:

• Preliminary evidence suggests E-EMR can enhance teacher practices and reduce educational disparities for students of color.
• The study highlights the importance of integrating equity-explicit focuses into school-based interventions and their evaluations.