Teacher-Student Interaction in Urban At-Risk Classrooms: Differential Behavior, Relationship Quality, and Student Satisfaction with School

Abstract

In this study I examined teacher-student interactions and relationship quality among poor, urban, African-American children expressing differential school satisfaction. Multiple methods of data collection, including classroom observation, interviews, and self-report questionnaires, were used with 61 third through fifth graders. Results suggested that perceptions of a caring, supportive relationship with a teacher and a positive classroom environment were related to school satisfaction by as early as third grade. A different pattern of behavioral interactions with teachers was noted between students expressing high and low satisfaction with school, although this was not an important contributor to students' satisfaction with school. Results are discussed in light of theory that posits children's relationships with others as an important variable in learning and in light of contemporary movements within education that stress the importance of relationships in schooling.