Communication Technology and Teacher-Student Relationship in the Tertiary ESL Classroom During the Pandemic: A Case Study

Introduction

The study aims to present the potential benefits and challenges of incorporating communication technology (CT), namely synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) (e.g., Zoom Video Communications), computer-mediated communication (CMC) (e.g., WhatsApp), and social networking sites (SNS) (e.g., Instagram) into the tertiary classroom based on the honest account of four English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers during the pandemic. The authors intend to explore the efficacy of SCMC in lowering language anxiety and in fostering closer teacher-student relationship as suggested by the previous literature (Abraham in Comput Assist Lang Learn 21:199-226, 2008; Aristika and Juandi in Emerg Sci J 5:443-456, 2021; Darhower in Synchronous computer-mediated communication in the intermediate foreign language class: a sociocultural case study, University of Pittsburgh, 2000; Hagenauer and Volet in Oxf Rev Educ 40:370-388, 2014).

Method

Qualitative data collected from the authors' teaching reflections over a 13-week period were analyzed from a third-person perspective. The above collaborative autoethnography (CAE) approach was adopted in face of the then difficulties in data collection given factors such as social-distancing during the pandemic. The authors selected and agreed on the key observations, feelings, and anecdotes worth-examining in their first-time online teaching experience at informal group interviews facilitated by SCMC.

Findings

It was identified by the authors that learners' text-based production in the target language increased possibly due to the novelty of online learning platforms, lower affective variables, and a closer teacher-student relationship fostered by teachers' increased self-disclosure and the reduced formality in communication technology. Despite the above potential benefits of CT in ESL, challenges, such as an increasingly blurred teacher-student professional distance, students' increased code-mixed production in their L1 and L2, and the resultant 'teacher burnout' due to the obscured concept of standard office hours, were observed. The incorporation of CT into English Language Teaching (ELT) is desirable for its potential benefits in the affective domain of both teachers and students. However, it is recommended that teachers should establish guidelines in the use of CMC and SNSs both inside and outside class to avoid boundary and privacy issues as well as deviation from the initial lesson objectives.

Class- and subject teachers' self-efficacy and emotional stability and students' perceptions of the teacher-student relationship, classroom management, and classroom disruptions

BACKGROUND

Teacher self-efficacy and emotional stability are considered crucial resources for coping with classroom demands. We examined how class and subject teachers' self-efficacy beliefs and emotional stability are related to teachers' and students' perceptions of the teacher-student relationship, classroom management, and classroom disruptions.

METHODS

In a sample of eighty-two swiss german 5th and 6th grade classes, 1290 students, their class teacher (N = 82), and a selected subject teacher (N = 82) filled out a questionnaire assessing classroom disruptions, teacher-student relationships, and classroom management. In a first step, we conducted t-tests on whether class teachers and subject teachers differ in their self-efficacy beliefs and emotional stability. In a second step, we explored by correlation analyses the relations between teacher self-efficacy in classroom management and emotional stability and the teachers' and students' perceptions of classroom disruptions, teacher-student relationships, and classroom management. In a third step, we examined by stepwise multiple regression analyses to what extent psychological variables predict teacher perceptions after controlling for students' ratings, representing rather "objective" classroom features.

RESULTS

In class teachers, high self-rated emotional stability and self-efficacy are associated with a more positive appraisal of teacher-student relationships and classroom management skills (compared with student ratings). By contrast, in subject teachers, high self-efficacy beliefs are associated with a more favorable perception of classroom disruptions, teacher-student relationships, and classroom management, from both the teachers' and students' perspectives.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the present study show a distinctive pattern for class teachers and subject teachers. In class teachers, high self-rated emotional stability and self-efficacy are associated with a more positive evaluation (compared to student ratings) of the teacher-student relationship and classroom management skills but not teacher perceptions of student misbehavior. On the contrary, subject teachers' firm self-efficacy beliefs are associated with more favorable perceptions of classroom characteristics, both from the teachers' and students' perspectives.

"We are much closer here": exploring the use of WhatsApp as a learning environment in a secondary school mathematics class

In this study, we examined a mathematics teacher's communicative acts on an instant messaging tool, WhatsApp, and its role in creating a sustained learning environment between secondary-school students and a teacher in Turkey. The interactions of a mathematics teacher and his students (n = 38) over two years were explored. The WhatsApp group increased interaction in out-of-school hours. Analysis of the teacher's communicative acts was the leading force that encouraged the group to continue to interact. The teacher portrayed an informal and sincere presentation of himself on social media. A constructive communication style between teacher and students was fostered by connecting through WhatsApp in out-of-school hours, when the teacher's informal communicative acts have facilitated their learning.

Positive intervention for depression and teacher-student relationship in Iranian high school girl students with moderate/mild depression: a pilot randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Positive intervention (PI) is a modern and therapeutic approach broadly based on the principles of positive psychology (Rashid in J Posit Psychol 1:25-40, 2014). PI effects at schools have received little attention to date. However, since PI offers a focus on the positive aspects of human experience (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi in Am Psychol 55:5-14, 2000), we hypothesized that it could exert positive changes in the teacher-student relationship (TSR) and depression symptoms. Therefore, the mentioned pilot study conducted in this article aimed at evaluating PI effects on depression and TSR among Iranian high school girl students with moderate/mild depression.

METHOD

In this research, 60 eligible female students (aged 15-18) with a Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) mild-moderate depression diagnosis, were randomly divided into PI (n = 30) and control groups (n = 30) at the time of entering the study and 2 months later following their assessments through the Inventory of TSR (IT-SR) and BDI-II. The intervention group participated in 8-week 2 h group sessions of PI and the control group was evaluated without any intervention.

RESULTS

The study was completed with a total number of 49 girls [PI group (n = 24), and control group (n = 25)] and everybody participate in 8 sessions. The intervention group was effective on the variables of BDI-II and IT-SR in a way that the involved girls increased their communication (p = 0.001, d = 0.17), trust (p = 0.001 d = 0.14) after PI training and decreased alienation (p = 0.012, d = 0.11) and depression (p = 0.001, d = 0.15) among other high school students.

CONCLUSION

This intervention could function as an unspecific component of a stepped care approach for teenage girls suffering from depression. This study recommends more RCT with large sample sizes among high school boys students and follow-up.

Mental health problems and associated school interpersonal relationships among adolescents in China: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

During adolescence, middle school students facing psychophysical changes are vulnerable to psychological problems. The present study aimed to investigate mental health status and associated school interpersonal relationships among adolescents in China, which may help to inform effective prevention strategies to reduce the prevalence of mental health problems.

METHODS

In the cross-sectional study, a total of 10,131 middle school students were selected from three cities in eastern China by stratified random sampling. The Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90), Teacher-Student Relationship Questionnaire (TSRQ) and Peer Relationship Scale (PRS) were used to evaluate psychological symptoms, the quality of relationship with teachers and the quality of relationship with peers, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the association between school interpersonal relationships and mental health problems in adolescents.

RESULTS

36% of the middle school students reported positive in mental health problems assessed by the SCL-90. The most prevalent dimensional symptom was obsessive-compulsive (43.3%). The risk of all types of psychological symptoms was significantly associated with school interpersonal relationships. Moreover, a higher risk of mental health problems was associated with poorer school interpersonal relationships.

CONCLUSIONS

Mental health problems were prevalent among adolescents and highly associated with school interpersonal relationships. Our findings underscore the pressing need for school administrators to make efforts to improve school interpersonal relationships among adolescents.

Longitudinal Associations between Oppositional Defiant Symptoms and Interpersonal Relationships among Chinese Children

Children with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) are at increased risk for developing poor relationships with people around them, but the longitudinal links between ODD symptoms and subsequent interpersonal functioning remain unclear. In the current study, we examined the bidirectional associations between ODD symptoms and children's relationships with parents, peers, and teachers. We included separate analyses for parent vs. teacher reports of ODD symptoms, with regard to subsequent interpersonal relationships. Participants included 256 children with ODD, recruited in China, along with their parents and teachers, assessed at three time points roughly two years apart. Parents and teachers reported child ODD symptoms at each time point, and children reported their perceptions of father- and mother-child attachment, peer relationships, and teacher-student relationships across the three time points. ODD symptoms reported either by parents or teachers predicted impairments in interpersonal functioning. Meanwhile, child interpersonal impairments with peers and teachers predicted subsequent increase in teacher-reported ODD symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of transactional models of influence-and of considering early intervention for ODD in protecting children from developing further deficits and impairments. Additionally, we discuss the perspectives of multiple informants on ODD symptoms, including their different patterns of association with subsequent interpersonal relationships.

They need to be recognized as a person in everyday life: Teachers' and helpers' experiences of teacher-student relationships in upper secondary school

The aim of this study was to explore how teachers and helpers experience that teacher–student relationship (TSR) is developed and promoted in upper secondary school.

We also explored their experiences of qualities of TSR with students with mental health problems or at risk of dropping out. The study used a qualitative and participative approach; key stakeholders were included as co-researchers. Focus group interviews were held with 27 teachers and helpers. A thematic analysis was conducted. The participants’ descriptions of important experiential dimensions of TSR were clustered around four themes: (1) to be recognized as a person with strengths and challenges in everyday life, (2) collaborative relationships between students and teachers, (3) flexible boundaries in the relationship between teachers and students and (4) organization of classes and procedures set the stage for TSR. Collaborative, emotional and contextual qualities were found important to the development of TSR in upper secondary school. Experiences of negative qualities of TSR can contribute to push students out of school. Teachers and helpers experience that TSR may have the potential to play a role in promoting mental health in students’ everyday life.

A Non-bipartite Propensity Score Analysis of the Effects of Teacher-Student Relationships on Adolescent Problem and Prosocial Behavior

Previous research suggests a link between the quality of teacher-student relationships and the students' behavioral outcomes; however, the observational nature of past studies makes it difficult to attribute a causal role to the quality of these relationships. In the current study, therefore, we used a propensity score analysis approach to evaluate whether students who were matched on their propensity to experience a given level of relationship quality but differed on their actual relationship quality diverged on their concurrent and subsequent problem and prosocial behavior. Student/self, teacher, and parent- (only waves 1-3) reported data from 8 waves of the Zurich Project on the Social Development of Children and Youths (z-proso), a longitudinal study of Swiss youth among a culturally diverse sample of 7- to 15-year-olds were utilized. The initial sample included 1483 (49.4 % female) students for whom information relevant for this study was available. The sample represented families from around 80 different countries, from across all the continents; with approximately 42 % of the female primary caregivers having been born in Switzerland. Following successful matching, we found that students who reported better relationships with their teachers and whose teachers reported better relationships with them evidenced fewer problem behaviors concurrently and up to 4 years later. There was also evidence for an analogous effect in predicting prosocial behavior. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to prevention and intervention practices.