Teacher-child Relationships and Children’s Achievement in Elementary School: A Within and Between-child Analysis

Erin O’Connor

Supporting children’s achievement in elementary school is vital as children’s achievement trajectories tend to be stable after this time period (e.g. Alexander, Entwisle & Kabbani, 2001). Teacher-child relationships high in closeness and low in conflict appear to offer a naturally occurring support for all children’s achievement and an intervention for children at-risk due to family poverty (Pianta, 1999; Pianta & Walsh, 1996). No studies, however, have examined the developmental effects of teacher-child relationships on achievement across the elementary school years. Furthermore, researchers speculate that teacher-child relationships are linked with child and teacher behaviors in the classroom that, in turn, are associated with achievement (e.g. Pianta, 1999). These mechanisms though have not been examined over the course of elementary school. Because research can only inform policy and practice when it demonstrates what works, how it works, under what conditions and for which children, longitudinal studies of teacher-child relationships and elementary school achievement with a focus on interacting and intervening processes are needed. In the current study, I will examine changes in closeness and conflict in teacher-child relationships and achievement from first through fifth grade. I will also explore the moderating role of family poverty in associations between relational closeness and conflict and achievement and the mechanisms through which relationships influence achievement. I will conduct these analyses with the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development dataset. Results will demonstrate whether relationships with teachers can support children’s elementary school achievement and buffer children from the negative effects of poverty on achievement, as well as elucidate the mechanisms by which teacher-child relationships are most likely to impact children’s achievement.

About Erin O’Connor

Erin O’Connor received her doctorate in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2005. She is currently an Assistant Professor at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. O’Connor leads a research program examining relationships with mothers and teachers and the impacts of these relationships on children’s development in early and middle childhood. This research focuses on three specific areas. The first is on the influences of the school and family environments and teacher and child characteristics on the quality of teacher-child relationships in early and middle childhood. The second is on the effect of mother-child and teacher-child relationships on children’s academic achievement and social development in pre-kindergarten. The third is on the developmental/ longitudinal trajectories of children’s relationships with teachers across the elementary school years, and the influence of these trajectories on children’s social development and academic achievement. O’Connor also conducts randomized control trials of relationship-building interventions on the language and social development of pre-kindergarten children from low income families and neighborhoods. Her research has implications for teaching and learning and applied developmental science as well as educational practitioners and policy-makers. O’Connor has published in educational and psychology journals including the American Educational Research Journal, Journal of Educational Psychology and Journal of Applied Psychology. Her work is supported by grants from several institutions including the Institute for Education Sciences. O’Connor is a member of the American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association and the Society for Research in Child Development.