Student Trust in Teachers and Its Relationship to Student Identification with School

Research has documented a plethora of evidence that children's perceptions of their relationships with caregivers, specifically teachers, impacts learning outcomes, including academic engagement and achievement (Furrer & Skinner, 2003; Owens & Johnson, in press; Stipek, 2002; Wentzel, 1997), identification with school (Anderman, 2003; Bonich, 2007; Goodenow, 1993; McGannon, 2003; Meloro, 2006; Mitchell, 2004;) and academic press (Bonich, 2007; Lee & Smith, 1999; Middleton & Midgley, 2002).

Yet the research base from the student perspective on the pertinent elements that influence meaningful relationships between students and teachers, namely trust, is largely missing. <br /> <br /> The purpose of this study was to examine the construct of student trust in teachers and its relationship to student identification with school, student perceptions of academic press, and achievement in math and reading in an urban elementary school district.

An additional aim of this reserach was to add to the research base on trust in schools from the student perspective. <br /> <br /> In this study of 4,700 ethnically and economically diverse students in 35 urban elementary schools. a number of significant relationships were found between student trust in teachers, identification with school, student perceptions of academic press, and achievement.

Although all independent variables indicated a moderate and significant correlation with achievement in both reading and math, the strongest relationship was between student trust in teachers and achievement.