Teachers Shape Futures: Why Teacher Bonds Increase Academic Performance and Reduce Delinquency

• In Event: Lightning Talk: School Approaches to Reduce Delinquency and Improve Safety

Abstract

Youth in the juvenile justice system are at increased risk for poor academic outcomes and reoffending. However, strong bonds with teachers predicts academic success and desistance for this population. Yet, research has not fully explored why these bonds are so impactful. The theory of reflected appraisal may provide some insight, as it suggests that supportive relationships imbue confidence and hope. Thus, the current study examines whether future expectations mediated the association between teacher bonds and both grades and delinquency.
A diverse sample of 1,216 justice-involved adolescents were interviewed immediately, six months, and 12 months after the disposition hearing for their first arrest. Participants completed several questionnaires regarding their teacher bonds, future expectations, and offending. Mediation analyses tested the indirect effects of future expectations at 6 months on the influence of baseline teacher bonds on grades and offending at 12 months, respectively.
Findings revealed that stronger teacher bonds predicted more positive future expectations and, subsequently, better grades (b=.062, p<.001) and less offending (b=-.05, p=.012). These findings underscore how justice-involved adolescents’ school connectedness cultivates hopeful expectancies for the future, which can deter delinquency and promote success. Implications for improving teacher-student relationships for justice-involved adolescents will be discussed.

Authors

• Curtis Donovyn Smith, University of California, Irvine

• Jordan Beardslee, University of California, Irvine

• Elizabeth E. Cauffman, University of California, Irvine