Memories of Positive and Negative Student-Teacher Relationships in Students With and Without Disruptive Behavior

A rich body of research using teacher report has shown that students with disruptive behavior are at heightened risk of experiencing negative student-teacher relationships over time. However, no research has compared how students with and without disruptive behavior remember their own past relationships. We conducted autobiographical memory interviews with 96 participants (M-age = 12.31 years, SD = 1.75) from three groups: two containing students with disruptive behavior (one in alternative school, one in mainstream) and one with no disruptive behavior (in mainstream). Whereas all students in the nondisruptive group and most (90.0%) in the disruptive-mainstream group could remember at least one strongly positive student-teacher relationship, one third (32.1%) in the disruptive-alternative school group could not. This previously unidentified subgroup may be particularly at risk of negative school outcomes in the future. Interestingly, 40.5% of students in the nondisruptive group also recalled at least one strongly negative student-teacher relationship. Across groups, students attributed these negative relationships to teacher hostility and injustice. Drawing on these findings, we discuss implications for interventions to encourage positive student-teacher relationships for all students.