A Non-bipartite Propensity Score Analysis of the Effects of Teacher–Student Relationships on Adolescent Problem and Prosocial Behavior

Bibliographic Data

ID10924136
AuthorsIngrid Obsuth (0000-0002-8258-805X, University of Cambridge, corresponding author), Aja Louise Murray (0000-0002-9068-3188, University of Cambridge), Tina Malti (0000-0001-8241-1230, University of Toronto), Philippe Sulger, Denis Ribeaud (0000-0002-1668-8319), Manuel P Eisner (0000-0001-5436-9282, University of Cambridge)
Year2017
Volume46
Issue8
Pages1661-1687
Publication date2017-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Youth and Adolescence (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0047-2891 • E-ISSN: 1573-6601
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s10964-016-0534-y
PMID27380466
OpenAlexW2468883210
LanguageEN
Citations received42
References cited64

Previous research suggests a link between the quality of teacher-student relationships and the students' behavioral outcomes; however, the observational nature of past studies makes it difficult to attribute a causal role to the quality of these relationships. In the current study, therefore, we used a propensity score analysis approach to evaluate whether students who were matched on their propensity to experience a given level of relationship quality but differed on their actual relationship quality diverged on their concurrent and subsequent problem and prosocial behavior. Student/self, teacher, and parent- (only waves 1-3) reported data from 8 waves of the Zurich Project on the Social Development of Children and Youths (z-proso), a longitudinal study of Swiss youth among a culturally diverse sample of 7- to 15-year-olds were utilized. The initial sample included 1483 (49.4 % female) students for whom information relevant for this study was available. The sample represented families from around 80 different countries, from across all the continents; with approximately 42 % of the female primary caregivers having been born in Switzerland. Following successful matching, we found that students who reported better relationships with their teachers and whose teachers reported better relationships with them evidenced fewer problem behaviors concurrently and up to 4 years later. There was also evidence for an analogous effect in predicting prosocial behavior. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to prevention and intervention practices

Developmental psychology · Health psychology · Intervention (counseling · Matching (statistics · Observational study · Propensity score matching · Prosocial behavior · Public health · Quality (philosophy · Sample (material · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Early Childhood Education and Development · Parental Involvement in Education · Psychology · Social Psychology

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