nature preserve

Sense of Relatedness as a Factor inChildren’s Academic Engagement

and performance

What is relatedness?

I am special!

importance

supportinclusion

acceptance

belonging

0

Relatedness promotes engagement inthe classroom…

It stimulates a child’s interest and enthusiasm…

and triggers effort, persistence and participation in classroom activities.

Sense of Relatedness

• self esteem• self efficacy• success• achievement values• achievement goals• engagement• effort in classroom• grades

Affects a Child’s:

“I know the grades are low…I wasn’t engaged in the social environment.”

Relatedness as a Predictor of Children’s

Engagement and Learning

Past Research

Self Perceptions are predictors of motivation and performance in school.

Social factors affect children’s motivation

Motivation is impacted by relationship withparents, teachers and peers.

1.Examine the role of relatedness in classroom engagement and performance.

2. Examine the effects of relatedness to specific social partners- teachers, parents and peers.

3. Examine gender and age difference in effects of relatedness to specific social partners.

4. Examine the cumulative effects of relatedness to specific social partners.

Method

Participants- Sample equally divided by gender including children through sixth grade in a suburban-rural district composed mostly of middleclass and working families. They were 95% Caucasian, 5% Hispanic, African American, Asian or mixed race.

Procedures- Students completed questions by marking answers as questions were read aloud.

Teachers also reported on each student regarding emotional and behavioral engagement in the classroom. This was measured by a teacher’s perception of a student’s effort, attention and persistence.

Academic performance was measured by averaging reading,

language, spelling and math grades.

If I can’t relate to my teacher…

Sense of Relatedness

I see pizzaIn my Future!

Engagement in the Classroom

•Active•Goal Directed•Flexible •Constructive•Persistent•Focused Interactions

VS

•Alienated•Apathetic•Rebellious•Frightened•Burned out

Engagement DisaffectionVS

Role of Relatedness in Classroom Engagement and

Performance

Unique Contributions of Relatedness to Specific Social

Partners

Differences as a Function of Age and Gender

Profiles of Relatedness to Specific Social Partners

Compensation Among Social Partners

Engagement as a Potential Pathway of Influence

Relatedness to Parents, Teachers, and Peers

Implications for Practice

• building the quality of children’s relationships.

• interventions cannot target relatedness to only one social partner.

• relatedness to parents, teachers, and peers each play a unique role.

Priority for schools should be: