Teacher Student Relationships

In 1971, Philip Zimbardo created a simulation prison to determine the effects that one's situation could have on their behaviour. He found that those who were given the role of prisoners became much more submissive, while those who were made to be prison guards became much more aggressive. 

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      While school is not as intense a situation, the same conclusions seem to apply. In this instance, teachers hold particular perceptions of their students and, by treating them accordingly, inadvertently alter the behaviours and academic capabilities of those students. This is why it is important to study teacher-student relationships.

      • In this explanation, we will discuss teacher-student relationships with special attention to teacher labelling, and the self-fulfilling prophecy. We will look at the importance of positive teacher-student relationships and the factors influencing teacher-student relationships.
      • Next, we'll look at teacher labelling and various studies of such.
      • We'll take a look at how teacher labelling and the self-fulfilling prophecy are connected to various social identity markers, including social class, gender, and ethnicity.
      • Finally, we'll evaluate the teacher labelling theory for its potential criticisms.

      Importance of positive teacher-student relationships

      Teacher-student relationships are crucial in the academic development of a child.

      Positive interactions between teachers and students can enhance the rate of educational success of a pupil, while a negative relationship between the child and the school authorities can result in low achievement. Sociological studies show that maintaining a positive teacher-student relationship seems to benefit the pupils greatly.

      Factors influencing the teacher-student relationship

      Let's go over two significant factors that impact teacher-pupil relationships: teacher labelling, and self-fulfilling prophecies.

      Teacher labelling

      Labelling theory is a very influential idea within interactionist or social action theory. Interactionism focuses on micro-level processes of society and human interaction.

      Labelling refers to the simplified categorisation of people into broad social groups. It is usually based on first impressions and represents our first judgements made of the individuals we encounter.

      What is teacher labelling?

      Teacher labelling refers to the process of teachers observing their students and putting them into broad categories - in other words, labelling them. These labels can be created based on the student’s attitude to and behaviour in school, but also on their ethnicity, social class, or gender, as some interactionist sociologists argue. In the latter case, the labels are very much ingrained in stereotypes.

      The labels teachers impose can influence the ways students view themselves, both in connection to school and the ways they interact with the other students. According to teacher-labelling theory, labels can affect students’ attitudes to school as well as their academic achievement.

      Self-fulfilling prophecy

      The concept of the self-fulfilling prophecy is very closely linked to labelling theory. It is the idea that individuals accept the labels bestowed on them (even if they don't actually 'fit'), they start behaving that way, thus making them come true.

      If a student is labelled intelligent and high-achieving, they will become so as a response to being labelled intelligent and high-achieving. On the other hand, if a student is labelled as unintelligent and rebellious, they will act accordingly.

      Why teacher-student relationships matter

      Let us take a look at why teacher-student relationships matter.

      Effects of positive labelling in school

      According to this theory, if a student receives positive labels from teachers, such as being hard-working, bright, and focused, they will develop a positive intellectual self-concept and join the pro-school subculture. Teachers will have higher expectations of them, which will make them work even harder. Consequently, they will end up getting good grades and have high academic achievements.

      Effects of negative labelling in school

      Conversely, if a student is negatively labelled by their teachers, such as being called lazy, less capable, or distracted, they will design their self-concept around activities outside of school, and join anti-school subcultures. Teachers will have lower expectations of them, which will demotivate them further. As a result, they will receive average or lower than average grades, or even fail academically.

      Check out School Subcultures for more information.

      Teacher-Student Relationships, man teaching boy using board in forest, StudySmarterFig. 1 - The labels teachers place on students can have profound impacts on their self-image and performance.

      'Teacher labelling' in sociology

      There has been a considerable amount of sociological research done on labelling in education in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Let's first look at three primary studies on the concept, before exploring how teacher-student relationships are impacted by social class, gender, and ethnicity.

      Studies on teacher-labelling theory

      Let's look more closely at three seminal studies on the subject.

      Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968)

      • This study was conducted on a Californian primary school. The researchers set out to test the concept of self-fulfilling prophecy.
      • They chose a random sample of 20 percent of the students. They then told teachers that these pupils were very intelligent, and were thus expected to develop quickly academically.
      • After testing all pupils for IQ at the beginning of the study and one year later, the researchers found supporting evidence for the self-fulfilling prophecy. The randomly selected group of students, who had been pointed out to teachers as being especially smart, scored higher on the IQ test on average than the rest of the pupils.

      Hargreaves (1975)

      • David Hargreaves interviewed teachers and conducted participant observation in the classrooms of two secondary schools.
      • His focus was on the process of the teachers getting to know their first-year students. He thought this was the perfect stage for the research, as teachers did not know much about the students. This meant Hargreaves could follow the whole process of labelling students from inception.
      • At the end of his research, he established three different stages of the process he had observed.
      1. Speculation - At this point, teachers rely on guesses about the types of the students based on seven points of observation: appearance, conformity to discipline, ability and enthusiasm for work, likeability, relationship to other pupils, personality, and whether they are deviant.
      2. Elaboration - Teachers test their first impressions multiple times and decide if they are correct. Their image of each student gets more refined and detailed.
      3. Stabilisation - In the last stage, teachers feel that they already know the students and why they do certain things. They usually interpret the same actions differently, depending on whether they have a positive or negative image of the student. Negatively categorised students can't really do anything that would be viewed in a positive light, while disruptive behaviour from positively viewed students is treated lightly.

      Waterhouse (2004)

      • A sociological study by Waterhouse (2004) showed that teachers interact with students differently according to how they had labelled the students previously.
      • These labels slowly become the ‘pivotal identity’ for students, and teachers judged the behaviours and attitudes of students in tandem. For example, a student whose pivotal identity was determined as normal, received less serious punishment for deviant behaviour than a student who was labelled negatively in the beginning.

      Examples of teacher-student relationships

      Let's take a look at teacher-student relationships in terms of social class, gender and ethnicity.

      Teacher-student relationships and social class

      R. C. Rist (1970) noted that kindergarten children were split into three different groups as early as the eighth day of school. Teachers made their judgements according to the children's appearances and family backgrounds, rather than their abilities. Working-class children who looked more untidy ended up in the less capable group, even if they displayed better competencies than their well-dressed middle-class peers.

      Howard Becker (1970) observed that middle-class teachers looked at middle-class students as ideal pupils, as being polite, and speaking and dressing nicely. Teachers viewed these students positively while tending to hold more negative attitudes towards working-class students regardless of their intelligence.

      Negative teacher labelling can have serious adverse consequences on the educational development of working-class pupils. According to Becker, this bias is one of the causes of working-class students not doing as well in school as their middle-class peers.

      Teacher-student relationships and gender

      Swann and Graddol (1994) found that boys are viewed as disruptive more often than girls are, by teachers. As a result, teachers spend more time disciplining than helping boys and display lower expectations towards them. Therefore, boys tend to have lower academic achievements than girls.

      John Abraham’s research (1986) showed a similar trend. He asked teachers to describe the typical student of both genders. Teachers defined the typical boy as attention-seeking, disruptive, and less intelligent, while the typical girl was smart, well-behaved, quiet, and hard-working.

      Teacher Student Relationships, person writing in notebook with pen, StudySmarterFig. 2 - GIrls are more often labelled as hard-working and studious than boys.

      Sociologists such as Jackson (2006) however point out that there is an emerging culture of unruly girls, so this division might change in the future.

      Teacher-student relationships and ethnicity

      Let's explore teacher-student relationships in the UK.

      Teacher-student relationship in the UK

      David Gilborn (1990) observed that despite most teachers’ attempts to treat all students equally, African-Caribbean children in the UK are controlled and disciplined much more often, even when there is no reason to do so. In theory, the teachers reject racism, but their actions are racist. As a result, African-Caribbean students are often more involved in school conflict and have little opportunity to complain about their situation.

      Cecile Wright (1992) supported Gilborn’s findings by arguing that all ethnic minorities are treated differently from white pupils by teachers. Asian students are often thought of as not speaking English very well, so teachers rarely call them out to answer questions. However, as they are viewed as quiet and well-behaved, they are rarely disciplined and often ignored. African-Caribbean students, on the other hand, are expected to be unruly, aggressive, and disruptive, and receive special (mostly negative) attention.

      Joining the discussion, Tony Sewell (1996) claimed that male Black students are often perceived as a threat by teachers. Due to their racist socialisation, teachers seem to be scared of the students' perceived masculinity, sexuality, and physical power. Sewell also noted that Black boys report their cultures receiving only negative recognition by school authorities.

      Criticisms of the teacher labelling theory

      • Rosenthal and Jacobson’s (1968) experiment, and many other teacher labelling studies, have been criticised for unreliability.

      • Some sociologists claim that teacher labelling theory awards too much significance to the role of the teacher in the development of pupils’ education. Structuralist sociologists point out that the school system itself encourages labelling through entry tests, against which teachers can do little. They are even called to help those students who perform badly on tests, which immediately 'groups' pupils in teachers' minds before they have even met.
      • Negative labelling does not always have negative influences on the development of students. Margaret Fuller (1984) found that Black female pupils in London were categorised as low-achievers, but instead of accepting the label, they studied hard to prove the teachers wrong. Here, Fuller argued, negative labelling had a positive effect on the development of the students. It did not follow the self-fulfilling prophecy.
      • Some sociologists assert that in contemporary society, teachers have sensitivity training and are much less likely to make distinctions between their students based on their social and cultural backgrounds.

      Teacher Student Relationships - Key Takeaways

      • Teacher-student relationships are crucial in the academic development of a child.
      • Teacher labelling refers to the process of teachers observing their students and putting them into broad categories.
      • The self-fulfilling prophecy is the idea that individuals accept the labels bestowed on them, even if they don't actually 'fit', and start behaving as if they do fit, thus making them come true.
      • Teacher-labelling theory has been criticised for a number of reasons, mainly that teachers' labels are not always that impactful or even negative.

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      Frequently Asked Questions about Teacher Student Relationships

      What is the teacher-student relationship?

      Teacher-student relationship refers to the various types of interaction between teachers and students. Teacher-student relationships are extremely important in the academic development of a child.

      Why are teacher-student relationships important?

      Teacher-student relationships are extremely important in the academic development of a child. Positive interactions between teachers and students can enhance the rate of educational success of a pupil, while a negative relationship between the child and the school authorities can result in low achievement. Sociological studies show that maintaining a positive teacher-student relationship seems to benefit the pupils greatly.

      How can teacher-student relationships be improved?

      Some sociologists assert that in contemporary society, teachers have sensitivity training. As a result, they are much less likely to make distinctions between their students based on their social and cultural backgrounds.

      How can positive teacher-student relationships be built?

      Positive teacher-student relationships can be built through positive teacher labelling for instance. According to this theory, if a student receives positive labels from teachers, such as being hardworking, bright, and focused, they will develop a positive intellectual self-concept and join the pro-school subculture. Teachers will have higher expectations of them, which will make them work even harder. Consequently, they will end up getting good grades and have high academic achievements.

      What are the factors influencing the teacher-student relationship?

      The two most important factors that impact teacher-pupil relationships are teacher labelling, and self-fulfilling prophecies.

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