Teacher Effects on Social and Behavioral Skills in Early Elementary School
Abstract
Although many recognize that social and behavioral skills play an important role in educational stratification, no studies have attempted to estimate teachers’ effects on these outcomes. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), the authors estimate teacher effects on social and behavioral skills as well as on academic achievement. Teacher effects on social and behavioral skill development are sizeable, and are somewhat larger than teacher effects on academic development. Because—as is shown here—social and behavioral skills have a positive effect on the growth of academic skills in the early elementary grades, the teachers who are good at enhancing social and behavioral skills provide an additional indirect boost to academic skills in addition to their direct teaching of academic skills. Like previous studies, the authors find that observable characteristics of teachers and the instructional approaches utilized in their classrooms are weak predictors of teacher effects. However, the present results suggest that the teachers who produce better than average academic results are not always the same teachers who excel in enhancing social and behavioral skills.
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Jennings and DiPrete (2010) found within-school teacher effects on social and behavioral outcomes (0.21 sd) larger than effects on academic achievement (0.12-0.15 sd).
“They found within-school teacher effects on social and behavioral outcomes that were even larger (0.21 standard deviations [sd]) than effects on students’ academic achievement (between 0.12 sd and 0.15 sd, depending on grade level and subject area).”
From Teacher and Teaching Effects on Students’ Attitudes and Behaviors (2017) · cites this paper as Jennings and DiPrete (2010)
Four studies found weak relationships between teacher effects on academic performance and effects on other outcome measures.
“Four of the studies described above found weak relationships between teacher effects on students’ academic performance and effects on other outcome measures.”
From Teacher and Teaching Effects on Students’ Attitudes and Behaviors (2017) · cites this paper as Jennings and DiPrete (2010)
Our findings align with previous studies that identify teacher effects on students' attitudes and behaviors and weak relationships between different measures of teacher effectiveness.
“In many ways, our findings align with conclusions drawn from previous studies that also identify teacher effects on students’ attitudes and behaviors (Jennings & DiPrete, 2010; Kraft & Grace, 2016; Ruzek et al., 2015), as well as weak relationships between different measures of teacher effectiveness (Gershenson, 2016; Jackson, 2012; Kane & Staiger, 2012).”
From Teacher and Teaching Effects on Students’ Attitudes and Behaviors (2017) · cites this paper as Jennings & DiPrete, 2010
Cites
Teachers, Schools, and Academic Achievement
Rivkin, S. G., Hanushek, E. A., & Kain, J. F. (2005) · Econometrica · doi:10.1111/j.1468-0262.2005.00584.x · Cited by 4,501 · see citing works
Teacher-Student Matching and the Assessment of Teacher Effectiveness
Clotfelter, C. T., Ladd, H. F., & Vigdor, J. L. (2006) · Journal of Human Resources · doi:10.3368/jhr.xli.4.778 · Cited by 739 · see citing works
Student Sorting and Bias in Value-Added Estimation: Selection on Observables and Unobservables
Rothstein, J. (2009) · Education Finance and Policy · doi:10.1162/edfp.2009.4.4.537 · Cited by 332 · see citing works
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Korpershoek, H., Harms, T., de Boer, H., van Kuijk, M., & Doolaard, S. (2016) · Review of Educational Research · doi:10.3102/0034654315626799 · Cited by 633 · see citing works
Teacher and Teaching Effects on Students’ Attitudes and Behaviors
Blazar, D., & Kraft, M. A. (2017) · Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis · doi:10.3102/0162373716670260 · Cited by 591 · see citing works
Redding, C. (2019) · Review of Educational Research · doi:10.3102/0034654319853545 · Cited by 453 · see citing works
Teaching to support students with diverse academic needs
Blazar, D., & Archer, C. (2020) · Educational Researcher · doi:10.3102/0013189x20931226 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
- Authors
- Jennings, J. L., & DiPrete, T. A.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
- Venue
- Sociology of Education
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2010-04
- Volume
- 83
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 135-159
- ISSN
- 0038-0407 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-8573
- OpenAlex
- W2114095554
- Cited by
- 242
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 40.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Sociology of Education (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Early Childhood Education and Development
- Social Sciences › Education › School Choice and Performance
- Social Sciences › Education › Educational Environments and Student Outcomes
- Keywords
- teacher effects, social skills, behavioral skills, academic performance, early elementary education, kindergarten, educational stratification, teacher characteristics, teaching methods, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort
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