The Influence of Student Personality and Teacher-student Interactions on Teacher-student Relationship Quality

Abstract

Teacher-student relationship is one of the basic interpersonal relationships of students in school environment, and is important for students' development. Understanding the mechanism underlying the formation of high quality teacher-student relationships has always been a key concern in the field of psychology. This study examined the direct and indirect influences of student personality and teacher-student interaction on teacher-student relationship quality by building up a path model of teacher-student relationship quality. Main results included: (1) student's cautiousness positively predicts teacher-student relationship quality; (2) different dimensions of student personality directly contribute to teacher-student interactions; (3) teacher proximity and student affiliation positively predict teacher-student relationship quality; (4) teacher proximity positively predicts student control; (5) the hypothesis that teacher-student interaction acts as a mediator between student personality and teacher-student relationship quality was not supported by the path model. Finally, implications for educational practices were discussed.