Relationships across the elementary years: Association with children's social-behavioral skills

Abstract

Students' social-behavioral competencies are foundational to development. This longitudinal study identified associations between parent-teacher and student-teacher relationships, and children's social skills and problem behaviors at a single timepoint and over time. It involved 316 students and their parents and teachers across Grades 1 through 4. Several significant associations were uncovered, generally consistent with hypotheses. Parents' and teachers' reports of the parent-teacher relationship at one point in time were associated with their own ratings of students' social-behavioral outcomes. Across grades, parents' reports of the parent-teacher relationship were associated with their own ratings of students' outcomes. Teachers' reports of parent-teacher relationships were associated with children's overall social-behavioral outcomes as reported by parents and teachers. Teacher-rated student-teacher relationships at one timepoint were associated with their own ratings but not parents' ratings of student behaviors. Teacher-reported student-teacher relationships over time were associated with students' outcomes as rated by parents and teachers. Implications are discussed.