The Joint Operations of Teacher-Student and Peer Relationships on Classroom Engagement among Low-Achieving Elementary Students: A Longitudinal Multilevel Study

Although both teacher-student relationship (TSR) and peer relationship (PR) have been found important for the development of students' classroom engagement, little research has been done regarding the joint operations of these two factors. Guided by a developmental systems framework, this study examined longitudinal between-person and within-person associations between TSR/ PR and classroom engagement in a sample of 784 low-achieving students in the first three years of elementary school. A multidimensional approach was used to distinguish positive and negative dimensions of TSR, as well as peer liking and disliking. At the between-person level, results showed that students' classroom engagement was positively predicted by positive TSR and PR liking and was negatively predicted by negative TSR and PR disliking. Both positive and negative TSR interacted with PR disliking at the between-person level, such that the associations between positive/negative TSR and classroom engagement were stronger for students with lower levels of PR disliking. At the within-person level, changes in classroom engagement were associated with contemporaneous year-to-year changes in positive/negative TSR and PR disliking. No within-person level interaction effects were found. Cross-level interaction showed that the effects of within-person negative TSR on classroom engagement were stronger for students with lower overall levels of PR disliking. Findings highlighted the importance of using a multilevel multidimensional approach to understand the joint operations of TSR and PR in the development of classroom engagement in low-achieving students in early elementary school.

Disaggregating the Between-Person and Within-Person Associations Between Peer Acceptance and Academic Achievement in Early Elementary School

We examined the between-person and within-person associations between peer acceptance and academic achievement in early elementary school years. Drawing on a sample of 784 academically at-risk students, the random intercept cross-lagged panel model was implemented to disaggregate the between- and within-person associations between peer acceptance and academic achievement from Grades 1 to 3. Academic achievement was measured using standardized achievement tests and teacher reports. Peer acceptance was measured using sociometric ratings. Positive associations between peer acceptance and academic achievement were found at the between-person level. At the within-person level, peer acceptance was not associated with standardized achievement test scores, and it was negatively predicted by teacher-reported academic achievement. These findings reveal the heterogeneous associations between peer relation and academic achievement at different levels of analyses and highlight the importance of disaggregating the between- and within-person associations for a better understanding of the nature of this developmental relation.