Children's Relationships With Peers and Teachers: Assessment, Linkages Between Relationship Systems, and Associations With School Adjustment
Birch, Sondra Hadley
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/79620
Description
Title
Children's Relationships With Peers and Teachers: Assessment, Linkages Between Relationship Systems, and Associations With School Adjustment
Author(s)
Birch, Sondra Hadley
Issue Date
2001
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Ladd, Gary W.
Department of Study
Education
Discipline
Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Education, Sociology of
Language
eng
Abstract
A sample of 345 second- and third-grade children participated in the present study, designed to examine both measurement and conceptual issues relevant to children's teacher-child and peer relationships and how these relationships were associated with school adjustment. First, the psychometric properties of a peer nominations and ratings measure of the teacher-child relationship (PNR-TC; Birch, 1997) were evaluated, and the measure demonstrated satisfactory test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and predictive validity. Second, there was evidence for qualitative continuity across different relationship systems indicating that (a) children involved in close teacher-child relationships were more likely to have better peer relationships (i.e., peer group acceptance, presence of mutual friendships), and (b) children with conflictual or dependent teacher-child relationships had poorer peer relationships in the classroom. Third, the results suggested that relational supports and stressors derived from both teacher-child and peer relationships were each associated with children's affective, attitudinal, participatory, and academic adjustment in school contexts. These findings were discussed in terms of (a) future assessment of the teacher-child relationship, (b) possible mechanisms responsible for qualitative continuity across relationship systems, (c) the additive effects of multiple relationships on children's school adjustment, and (d) how and why supportive and stressful aspects of children's classroom relationships have relevance to their psychological, and academic adjustment in school settings. Finally, the implications of these findings for empirical research as well as for educational practice were considered.
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