Key Role of Teacher-Student Bonds in Education

A good classroom climate is a prerequisite

'Classroom climate.' Ever heard that term? No? 'It describes the overall atmosphere in a classroom. It says something about how people generally view each other, how students see and trust the teacher- or don't,' explains Tim Mainhard.

He is a professor of educational sciences at the Institute of Pedagogical Sciences and an expert in social processes in education. 'For example, I look at group dynamics and study what this means for a student's well-being and how the relationship between students and their teacher contributes to this.'

A good relationship is a prerequisite

'A child that sits tense in class and is continuously afraid of being punished does not have full attention for the lesson material'

Because a good relationship between a student and teacher is very important.

It is not just a nice extra or something you can do without. It is important to realize that a teacher does not have just one relationship with the class but dozens of different relationships with individual students. Good teaching therefore requires attuning to individual students.

Mainhard: 'A good relationship is a prerequisite. For students, it is very important that their relationship with the teacher is good, because it enables them to learn effectively, for example. A child who sits in class feeling tense and constantly afraid of being punished cannot fully focus on the learning material.'

A child who can feel carefree in the classroom, because they know the teacher supports them, does have the space to learn.

More motivated due to a positive atmosphere

Moreover, the relationship influences not only how students feel, but also how they respond when the teacher corrects their behavior. Students tend to accept corrections, rules, and feedback more easily from a teacher they feel understands them and wants to help. This also requires far less energy from the teacher.

In addition, a child who feels good in class and is challenged is often more motivated to participate. 'After all, you are more likely to find a subject enjoyable and interesting when it is explained in an enthusiastic and positive way.' This is also supported by large meta-studies, Mainhard adds.

Structure and routine are just as important as being kind

Besides being kind and enthusiastic, it is also important for teachers to provide structure and routine.

'A good teacher-student relationship is not only about warmth and closeness. Predictability, clear expectations, and consistent support give students a sense of safety and trust in their teacher.'

Also important for the teacher

'A teacher who has positive interactions and relationships in the classroom gains more professional confidence and experiences greater job satisfaction'

A positive classroom climate is also good news for the teacher. 'Not only students, but teachers as well bring their emotions into the classroom or are affected by what happens there,' says Hinke Endedijk.

Endedijk is an assistant professor at the Institute of Pedagogical Sciences. 'A teacher who has positive interactions and relationships in the classroom gains more professional confidence and experiences greater job satisfaction. Ultimately, this also contributes to retaining teachers and reducing attrition.'

Whoever has the feeling of being able to handle a class well, can also more easily foresee and avert a difficult situation, Endedijk knows. Her research focuses on challenging behaviour in the classroom and how teachers deal with it. What is meant by challenging behaviour?

'We often immediately think of busy or defiant behaviour, such as talking through the explanation, but an anxious attitude also falls under this. For example, if children deliberately avoid difficult tasks or do not dare to say anything.'

How do you achieve a good classroom climate?

A good classroom climate therefore works both ways. But how do you create this as a teacher? By investing in good relationships with pupils. Mainhard wrote about this for the NKO together with colleagues from practice the guideline Teacher-pupil relationships. One for primary education and one for secondary education. Research by Endedijk is cited as a source in these documents.

In each guideline there are six recommendations that teachers can apply in the classroom. One of the recommendations is 'support autonomy and offer structure'.

Mainhard gives an example of a situation: 'Suppose a pupil does not immediately start an assignment and keeps getting up from their own place all the time. Then you as a teacher can feel challenged. You can then angrily say that the child must sit down and start working. Maybe that has effect for a moment because the child is startled, but in the end this is not what you want.'

Because: 'If that happens systematically, the relationship tilts and ultimately the climate in the class. Children start to think: 'oh, that one is not nice', or become afraid. That has influence on their attitude towards school and learning and lowers the atmosphere in the class.'

A positive approach towards children

'Being kind does not equal approving of everything'

What does work? 'Saying something like: 'I see that you want to get up, but that's not possible right now. Shall I help you?' That is very different, but the message is still clear: getting up is not allowed. In this way, as a teacher, you are clear - which provides structure - but also kind.'

'Being kind does not mean approving everything. It's about co-regulation: helping students show behavior that they are not yet able to demonstrate independently,' Endedijk adds.

Role of the school

Schools also play a role in promoting the teacher-pupil relationship. 'If there are no clear agreements in a school about what is and isn't allowed and how behaviour is addressed collectively, that makes it difficult for teachers,' says Mainhard.

'You then get situations where pupils get away with more with one teacher than another, or where one teacher mainly punishes while another helps pupils change their behaviour.'

It would already help if teaching teams made agreements together and developed a shared vision on behaviour and relationships. According to the researchers, this is not yet happening everywhere, even though it is just as important as a good lesson plan or curriculum.

'Hints' work better

'Sometimes rules are still purely focused on maintaining order. For example: three warnings and then a child is sent out of the classroom,' says Mainhard. 'It would be better to focus on co-regulation and make agreements about micro-corrections in the classroom,' Endedijk adds.

For example, making eye contact with a pupil for just a little longer. A small 'hint' like that can already be enough. By correcting in small steps first, a pupil also gets the chance to correct themselves. This is important, because children learn not only from what the teacher says to them personally, but also from how the teacher responds to others.

A large meta-study by Endedijk shows that pupils who are often corrected negatively tend, over time, to be less well accepted in the group. The way a teacher corrects behaviour therefore also affects a pupil's position within the group.

'A class is not owned by a teacher'

'A class does not belong to a single teacher. It works much better if the entire educational team shares responsibility for all pupils'

Another helpful approach is not placing full responsibility for a class on one teacher.

Endedijk: 'A class does not belong to a single teacher. It works much better if the entire educational team shares responsibility for all pupils. This way, individual teachers have less need to search for support on their own and can rely on each other and exchange experiences.'

A positive classroom climate does not arise automatically. It takes time and good communication to develop. But once it is there, everyone within the school benefits from it.