Teacher-Parent Partnerships, Teacher-Student Interactions, and Students' Motivation

• In Event: Beliefs, Identity, Teacher Motivation, and Emotions: Perspectives for Teacher-Student Relationships

Abstract

Objectives: This longitudinal multilevel study examined how formal and informal types of teacher-reported teacher-parent partnerships were related to student-perceived teacher support, teacher-student relationships, and to students´ intrinsic motivation.

Framework: Epstein´s overlapping spheres of influence model (1987) describes the shared responsibilities of families and schools as overlapping spheres of influence that affect student learning and development. Studies accordingly show that teacher-parent partnerships provide important information for teachers regarding student social context and academic development (Haynes & BenAvie, 1996). However, further research is needed to investigate whether teacher-parent partnerships affect the relationship between teachers and students and the academic support that teachers provide to their students and, through this mechanism, contributes to students’ successful learning.

Method: Manifest-latent multilevel models were applied using student and teacher data of two waves of the German longitudinal Motivation in Learning in Mathematics study (MOVE). This study focused on a subsample of 881 ninth and tenth graders (52.7% girls) in German secondary schools whose classroom teachers (N=39, 42.7 % women) also participated in the study.

Results: At the class level, teacher-reported informal types of teacher-parent partnerships (Time 1) were positively correlated with student-perceived academic teacher support (Time 1). Formal types of teacher-parent partnerships (Time 1) were also positively related to changes in student intrinsic motivation (Time 2-Time 1). At the student level, student-reported teacher academic support and teacher-student relationships (Time 1) were significantly and positively related to changes in student intrinsic motivation (Time 2-Time 1).

Significance: The study expands previous research on the Epstein model (1987) as it analyses the rarely investigated role that teacher-parent partnerships play in effective teaching and students’ learning processes. The findings of this study contribute to educational research and practice as they emphasize the importance of teacher-parent partnerships for student learning and academic support in class.

References

Epstein, J. L. (1987). Toward a theory of family-school connections: Teacher practices and parent involvement. In F. Losel, K. Hurrelmann & F.-X. Kaufmann (Hrsg.), Social intervention. Potential and constraints (Prevention and intervention in childhood and adolescence, Bd. 1, S. 121–136). Berlin: de Gruyter.
Haynes, N. & BenAvie, M. (1996). Parents as full partners in education. In A. Booth & J. Dunn (Hrsg.), Family-school Links. How do they affect educational outcomes? (S. 45–55). Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Authors

• Charlott Rubach, University of Potsdam

• Rebecca Christine Lazarides, University of Potsdam