Running head: RELATIONSHIPS IMPROVE STUDENT SUCCESS

CONTENTS 1. Media Article Includes:

WORTH 5/5
Comment [AL1]: Great article selection. Your summary was succinct and informative.

Appropriateness of media article (related to learning, memory, cognition, development, teaching, or instruction in relation to child development or special education) Concise summary of media article Clear presentation of the educational implications of the article 2. Research Literature 5/5 Includes:

Comment [AL2]: The research you referenced was very appropriate.

References to 4 or more journal articles/books or other reputable research sources Clear explanation of the research Clear presentation of the educational implications of the research 3. Integration and Analysis 10/10

Comment [AL3]: Wonderful presentation of the similarities/difference and educational implications.

Includes:

Presentation of similarities and differences in the research and media article Elaboration of how these inconsistencies could affect educational practice Explanation of why any differences between the research and media report may have emerged Assessment of whether a naive consumer would be misled or well-informed, based on what is found in the research to corroborate the conclusions. 4. Flow and APA 5/5 Includes: Correct use of APA format Logical flow Clarity and conciseness of the paper TOTAL 25/25 Your article was a pleasure to read. Keep up the great work!

Comment [AL4]: Clear, concise, and excellent flow.

Relationships Improve Student Success

Relationships Improve Student Success Shauna Thompson & Alicia Woloschuk University of Calgary APSY 523

Relationships Improve Student Success

Relationships Improve Student Success Media Article School boards, administrators, teachers, parents and a variety of others who work with students are always interested in ways to help children be more successful in school. A 2009 article entitled Relationships Improve Student Success in the online magazine Science Daily summarized findings put forth by University of Missouri researchers Christi and David Bergin which examined how childrens attachments influence their success in the school environment. According to the media article, students who form strong positive attachments to their teachers and schools are much more successful in school and therefore, it is possible to increase student achievement by enhancing teacher-student relationships. The article states that these students obtain higher grades, score better on standardized testing, are more academically motivated, more cooperative in the classroom, and have fewer referrals to special education services. The article also states that children with healthy attachments are better able to control their emotions, are more socially competent and more willing to take on challenging tasks. Furthermore, while attachment to parents is briefly mentioned as having an indirect impact on student success, the focus of the article is on improving attachment to teachers and schools. The Science Daily article quotes author David Bergin in support of the idea that, " it is important for schools to make children feel secure and valued, which can liberate them to take on intellectual and social challenges and explore new ideas." It is suggested that schools can achieve this by providing a variety of extracurricular activities, keeping schools small, and decreasing the number of classroom transitions a student must make across the years. David Bergin is also quoted regarding the responsibility of teachers to "connect with and care for children with warmth, respect and trust" in order to be effective. It is then suggested that teachers use reasoning rather than coercive discipline, provide choices, hold high expectations, be responsive and well-prepared in order to build strong and positive attachment with their students. Educational Implications of Media Article From the perspective of the Science Daily article, it is in a childs best interest for schools and teachers to foster strong and positive bonds with their students. According to researchers Hamre & Pianta (2001), the emotional connection between adults and children in schools is an important factor in childrens school performance, (p. 626). Children that have conflicted relationships with their schools and teachers reportedly enjoy school less, and require more
Comment [AL7]: Great reference and quote. He is a big name in this area of research. Comment [AL6]: Good summary of the article. Articulate and concise. Comment [AL5]: Fascinating area of research!

Relationships Improve Student Success

guidance, support, redirection and discipline from their teachers. Difficulties in the teacherstudent relationship may foster feelings of anxiety and anger in children, leading the child to become disengaged or uninvolved in school and ultimately feel alienated (Birch & Ladd, 1997). Building strong connections with their students through positive interactions and helping students to be kind and accepting of one another leads to many potential benefits. For instance, teachers are likely to put more effort into students with whom they have a strong, positive relationship, while difficult teacher-student relationships lead to more time spent using discipline tactics which interrupt the promotion of a positive school environment (Bergin & Bergin, 2009). Research Article Bergin & Bergins 2009 review article Attachment in the Classroom examines the relationship between attachment and childrens success in school. They state that a teachers relationship with each child is important for raising achievement levels as well as for improving socio-emotional well-being (p.158). Attachment is defined as being a deep and enduring affectionate bond that connects one person to another across time and space. Children show preference for their attachment figure over other adults. They retreat to the attachment figure when distressed and are readily soothed (p. 151). The authors highlight a significant amount of research which supports the claim that a childs attachment to their parents is linked to their level of academic achievement. Studies referred to in this article show that parent-child attachment is linked to a number of outcomes related to school success including, ones willingness to accept challenges, social competence, emotional regulation, ADHD symptoms, and delinquency. In their discussion of how a childs relationship with their teacher affects their level of academic success, Bergin & Bergin (2009) refer to teacher-student relationships rather than attachment after explaining that not all teacher-child relationships constitute an attachment relationship. A number of studies showed that child outcomes linked to teacher-student relationships parallel those of parent-child attachment from preschool through to high school specifically in regards to academic and social-emotional outcomes. The authors highlighted potential antecedents of secure teacher-student relationships to be teachers who are involved with, sensitive toward, and have many positive interactions with students. Additionally, teachers should be well-prepared for class, genuine in their interactions, and hold high expectations for their students with a level of supported autonomy in their classrooms.

Relationships Improve Student Success

According to Bergin and Bergin (2009), 1/3 to 1/2 of children have an insecure attachment to one parent, suggesting that insecure children are very common in classrooms. In order to meet the needs of these insecure students Bergin & Bergin (2009) advocate for the promotion of attachment-like relationships with teachers and schools (school bonding). Student perceptions of their teacher and participation in extracurricular activities show particular influence on school bonding. Additionally, the authors present evidence that students with fewer transitions throughout their school career (e.g. those who attended a K-8 school and a high school, vs. K-6, 7-9, and 10-12) are more successful than those with more transitions. Bergin & Bergin (2009) put forth several recommendations based on the research presented in the article. They highlight the importance of teachers learning to deal with children who are insecurely attached to their parents and recommend that teachers be sensitive to their students, be well prepared for class, show high student expectations and use induction rather than coercive discipline. They also suggest that teachers create a healthy, caring peer culture in the classroom, and act directly to build better relationships when difficult ones persist. The authors remind us that school policies can either facilitate or undermine teacherstudent relationships and school bonding. In the interest of improving school-wide policies Bergin & Bergin (2009) recommend that school-wide interventions be implemented for high-risk populations to improve teacher-student relationships. Where possible, the size of schools be kept small, a wide range of extracurricular activities be available, and that there be continuity of people and place (p.160) so attachments have time to develop. When transitions are necessary they should be facilitated to ensure connections will be made in the new environment. Educational Implications of Research A childs successful navigation of significant relationships is critical for success later in life. According to Birch & Ladd (1997), children with higher quality relationships with their teachers display greater levels of achievement than those with lower quality teacher relationships. That is, interventions intent on improving childrens academic achievement should focus on childrens relationships with their teachers (OConnor & McCartney, 2007). The attachment formed between a parent and child sets the stage for future relationships complemented by other relationships the child has with caregivers and teachers, particularly at young ages. The teacher-child relationship plays a role the childs ability to acquire the skills
Comment [AL8]: Great discussion of the research. Relevant and interesting.

Relationships Improve Student Success

necessary for success in school (Pianta & Stuhlman, 2004). By ensuring that teachers understand the developmental needs of their students, and that they are aware of the importance of forming strong, positive relationships with their students, more children may be successful in school. In addition, school policies that support and facilitate healthy teacher-student relationships and a sense of connectedness between a student and their school also help to foster students academic and social-emotional success. Teachers perceptions of their relationships with children have been linked to students social and academic functioning and predict both academic and behavioural skills in elementary students (Hamre & Pianta, 2001). Finally, by providing teachers with tools to foster healthy and secure relationships even high-risk students can be better set up for academic and social-emotional success. Research vs. Media Article The general concepts surrounding student attachment to teachers and schools highlighted in the media article closely parallel those of the original research by Bergin and Bergin (2009). While both articles report that students who have positive relationships with their teachers and schools tend to perform better both academically and socially, the original article offers a more in-depth explanation as to why this may be the case. For instance, the authors of the scholarly research indicate that positive teacher-student relationships help to increase students socioemotional well-being which ultimately promotes academic success as students are better equipped to take on academic challenges. In other words, students who are insecure and have negative relationships with their teachers often have poor emotional regulation. In turn, this affects their ability to accept learning challenges as they do not have the coping mechanisms to appropriately respond to new, and often frustrating, tasks (Bergin & Bergin, 2009). Consequently, the media article is correct in concluding that children who have conflicted relationships with teachers tend to like school less, are less self-directed and cooperate less in the classroom but is deficient in its explanation. Despite the general accuracy of the media report, it offers very little insight about the importance of parent-child attachment, which is strongly endorsed by Bergin and Bergin (2009) within the original article. The media report gives the impression that if a student is not performing at their expected level within the classroom, their academic performance can be bettered simply by improving the relationship with his/her teacher. The original article however,
Comment [AL9]: Well stated

Relationships Improve Student Success

suggests that doing so has its challenges, and that the parent-child relationship often sets the stage for creating quality attachments with other individuals, including teachers. That is, children often develop an internal working model in which they carry expectations about how others will treat them based on how their parents react to them (Bergin & Bergin, 2009; Sternberg, 2003). As such, these models serve as filters for understanding current and future interactions, and help the child evaluate, predict, and choose behaviour (Bergin & Bergin, 2009, p. 145). Consequently, children who come from homes in which the family is insecurely attached may be reluctant to open themselves up to their teacher, making it difficult for the teacher to establish a positive connection with them. As Bergin and Bergin (2009) explain, the behaviour of insecure children elicits responses in teachers that make it difficult to attach to them. Such behaviour includes... hostility, helplessness and disobedience (p. 155). In turn, it can be suggested that there is a link between a childs attachment to their parents and the ways in which a classroom teacher responds to that child. Bergin and Bergin (2009) suggest that this is why teachers tend to respond in a warmer manner to and hold higher standards for secure children while they are more likely to project anger, frustration and rejection towards children who come across as resistant, avoidant and insecure. According to Shaffer, Wood and Willoughby (2002) this consistent display of childrens behaviour across different contexts is also likely due in part to the fact that relationships tend to stay stable overtime. This indicates that children who display insecure behaviour at home will likely display insecurity within the classroom again, making it difficult for the teacher and student to bond. The media article briefly alludes to an indirect influence that parent-child relations can have on student success. However, the parent-child relationship has a more significant effect on both, the childs academic success and future relationships than the media report implies. Furthermore, with regards to parental attachment, it is important to note that the media article failed to recognize that positive teacher-student relationships are most beneficial for students who come from at-risk homes. While teacher warmth, respect, and trust will inevitably benefit any student, those who are securely attached at home may not benefit from these teacher characteristics to the same extent as children who do not have parental support. That is, conclusions in the original article stem from a large body of the research that included minority children and those at-risk. As Bergin and Bergin (2009) found, maltreated children have a

Relationships Improve Student Success

special need for attachment to teachers, yet they are more difficult for teachers to like and support (p. 156). Again, this is due to the behaviours which these insecure children bring to the class which in turn, make it difficult for teachers to develop positive relationships. In one study reviewed by Bergin and Bergin (2009) it was revealed that teachers do not readily develop positive attachments with at-risk students who approach them with distrust or avoidance (Howes & Ritchie, 1999). However, Bergin and Bergin (2009) concluded that it is possible for insecure children to develop secure attachments with classroom teachers providing the teacher is able to disconfirm the students internal working model and prior feelings of distrust. That being said, this process of developing a positive teacher-student relationship is likely more difficult than the media article portrays, especially for students who are insecure. Inconsistencies and Educational Practice The noted inconsistencies of the media article could lead to negative implications for educational practice particularly in regards to expectations of the teacher. Because the media report implies that improving the teacher-student relationship may act as a quick fix to students academic success, parents may be quick to assume that a classroom teacher is not showing enough warmth and support if their child is struggling. In other words, parents may place blame on the teacher if their child is failing rather than accepting that their child is genuinely struggling in a certain area. Likewise, in response, teachers may begin to spend extra time working on relationships with their students which may subsequently decrease the amount of time spent teaching the curriculum. Teachers may also begin to grade and evaluate students differently in hopes of establishing better rapport. Why are there Inconsistencies? An abundance of literature points to a link between parent-child attachment and child outcomes later in life. Specifically, research reveals that children with positive working models of their caregivers are more likely to... display self-confidence, earn higher grades, develop better social skills... and enjoy closer relationships [with others] (Shaffer, et al., 2002, p. 423). That being said, research on whether teachers play a similar role to parents when it comes to child/student development is far less common and relatively limited (Bergin & Bergin, 2009). Consequently, it appears as though the inconsistency of the media article was not to undermine the importance of parents but rather, to promote the importance of teachers. As Bergin and
Comment [AL11]: Interesting. Comment [AL10]: Good comparison/contrast of the articles.

Relationships Improve Student Success

Bergin (2009) explain, many parents and caregivers may see secure teacher-student relationships as low priority in an era of high stakes testing. However, childrens socio-emotional well-being is linked to achievement (p. 162). In turn, because socio-emotional well-being comes from secure relationships, one could conclude that high quality education results from strong, healthy relationships throughout the childs schooling. In fact, Bergin and Bergin (2009) report that in numerous cases the effect size of teacher-student relationships is greater than curriculum changes or other classroom interventions. Furthermore, it seems likely that at-risk children were not specifically targeted in the media article as indeed, all children can benefit from healthy relationships with teachers, even if the benefits are greater for some than others (Bergin & Bergin, 2009). Misled vs. Well-Informed? Generally speaking, it would be beneficial for a naive consumer to read this media article as it primarily helps to raise the readers awareness about this important topic. The article provides a succinct overview of the importance of teacher-student relationships. That is, poor teacher-student relationships may account, in part, for low achievement, and there are costeffective tactics which both teachers and schools can use to help promote learning within the classroom. As a media report however, this information should be interpreted cautiously as consumers may be misled. Because the media article does not endorse the importance of the childs parents, consumers may be quick to blame teachers for student failure while disregarding the students upbringing and family background. Likewise, parents may develop unrealistic expectations of both their childs academic abilities and the teachers ability to change the child, as the media article portrays the tactic of improving teacher-student relationships as a quick fix to students academic problems. That being said, the media article is informative and provides some insight to realistic interventions and recommendations when students are struggling.

Relationships Improve Student Success

References Bergin, C. & Bergin D. (2009). Attachment in the classroom. Educational Psychology Review, 21, 141-170. Teacher-Child Relationship and Children's Birch, S. H. & Ladd, G. W. (1997). The teacher-child relationship and childrens early school adjustment. Journal of School Psychology, 35(1), 61-79. Hamre, B. K. & Pianta, R. C. (2001). Early teacher-child relationships and the trajectory of children's school outcomes through eighth grade. Child Development, 72, 625-638. Howes, C., & Ritchie, S. (1999). Attachment organizations in children with difficult life circumstances. Developmental and Psychopathology, 11, 251-268. OConnor, E. & McCartney, K. (2007). Examining teacher-child relationships and achievement as part of an ecological model of development. American Educational Research Journal, 44(2), 340-369. Pianta, R. C. & Stuhlman, M. W. (2004). Teacher-child relationships and childrens success in the first years of school. School Psychology Review, 33, 444-458. Shaffer, D. R., Wood, e., & Willoughby, T. (2002). Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence (CAN ed.). Scarborough, ON: Nelson. Sternberg, R. J. (2003). Cognitive Psychology (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. University of Missouri-Columbia (2009, June 30). Relationships Improve Student Success. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 21, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/06/090630132009.htm