561 - Impact of teacher-student relationship and teacher perceptions of student attention on literacy achievement in elementary school-aged children

Poster Number: 561
Publication Number: 561.108

Juliana Gutierrez, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; Margaret Griffin, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; Luciane Piccolo, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; Erin Roby, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; Alan L. Mendelsohn, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; Caitlin F. Canfield, Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone, New York, NY, United States

Background: Previous research has shown associations between parent-reported child attention and academic achievement. However, parents and teachers differ in their ratings of child attention, and teacher ratings specifically may impact student-teacher relationships. Student-teacher relationships are important for school adjustment and academic achievement, especially for children of color and in low-income communities, and thus understanding the relationship between teacher perceptions of child attention in the school context, student-teacher relationships, and academic achievement is critical to understanding educational attainment among children in marginalized communities.

Objective: To examine the association between teacher-rated child attention and child literacy in the 1st grade, as well as with standardized assessments of English/Language Arts in the 3rd grade.

Design/Methods: Secondary analysis of data from 108 families from a longitudinal study (BELLE) of parenting interventions with children aged 0-5 years old. Primary predictors: Teacher-rated child attention (Teacher - BASC Attention) and student-teacher relationship (Student Teacher Relationship Scale). Primary outcomes: Literacy assessed by teachers at 1^st grade (ECLS Academic Rating Scale) and for a smaller sample of children in 3rd grade (NY state standardized test score for English/Language Arts).  We performed regression analysis to examine whether teacher-rated child attention predicted student-teacher relationship and whether these independently predicted academic achievement in the 1st and 3rd grades. Covariates: sociodemographics (Table 1).

Results: Regression models adjusted for covariates showed that teacher-rated child attention significantly predicted teacher-rated child literacy in 1^st grade. At 3^rd grade, both teacher-rated child attention and measures of student-teacher relationship significantly predicted standardized language achievement (Table 2).There was no significant association between teacher-rated attention and student-teacher relationship (B=1.05; Beta = .08, p=.40).

Conclusion(s): Findings support previous research on the sustained link between student-teacher relationships and academic achievement starting in preschool years. Further, the association between teacher-rated attention and student achievement in early through mid- elementary school underscores the importance of early childhood interventions aimed at school readiness targeting child cognitive and psychosocial development for long-term academic achievement.