The Association Between Socioeconomic Status and Student-Teacher Relationships on Math Achievement

• In Event: Promoting Success in Mathematics Education

Abstract

Student-teacher relationships (STR) and socioeconomic status (SES) are two widely studied variables in education and are important predictors of academic achievement, as they are associated with how students learn and develop within schools. In the current study, multilevel modeling, controlling for student-, teacher-, and school-level factors, was used to investigate the relationship between STR and SES on first grade mathematics achievement using the nationally-representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. The results indicate that both STR and SES were strongly associated with student math achievement. There was also a statistically significant moderation effect between close STR and SES on math achievement, suggesting that close STR are beneficial for all students, but are especially beneficial for students from low SES backgrounds.

Authors

• Amanda Olsen, The University of Texas - Arlington

• Francis Howard Lim Huang, University of Missouri