Teacher attachment style, students’ gender and perceived quality of teacher-student relationship

Abstract

Children’s school performance and socioemotional development is influenced by classroom climate and particularly emotional support offered by teachers. Also, boys and girls socialize differentially which suggests that students’ gender may play a role in how teachers relate to them. One theoretical model that could shed more light onthe implications of teacher-student interactions is attachment theory. Hence, the current study aimed to explore the association between teachers’ attachment style and the teacher-student relationship along with the impact of gender differences on how teachers relate to students. Students’ gender was investigated in terms of its potential effect on teacher attachment orientation too. The study employed three main instruments: the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised Questionnaire (ECR-R) was used to measure attachment style, the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale - short form (STRS) was administered twice to assess gender differences while the modified version of the same survey was used to evaluate classroom climate. Using correlation analysis, paired t-tests and MANOVA procedures, results indicated that teachers with higher levels of attachment-related anxiety perceived higher levels of conflict existing in their classrooms. Additionally, consistent with previous research, teachers were shown to have a more conflictual relationship with boys than with girls. Finally, differences in how securely attached teachers relate to male and female students compared to insecurely attached teachers were not found to be significant. Implications for future studies and clinical practice are discussed too.