For a study, researchers looked at the relationship between teacher-student interactions and academic adaptation over time, particularly focusing on first-year students and distinguishing between-person and within-person effects. Good teacher-student interactions were a key component in adaptive academic behavior. This study aimed to fill those gaps using a developmental-contextual approach to psychosocial adjustment. A total of 1,578 freshmen (Mage =18.72 years, SD=0.92) who had recently graduated from high school participated in the study. After starting college, data was collected at the 2nd (T1), 4th (T2), and 8th (T3) months. The focal association was investigated using the cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) and the random intercept CLPM (RI-CLPM). CLPM discovered bidirectional links between teacher-student interactions and academic adaptability over time. RI-CLPM findings revealed that teacher-student connections were significantly associated with literary adaptation at the between-person level, replicating CLPM findings. However, the data demonstrated a 1-way effect at the within-person level, with within-person changes in teacher-student relationships at T2 predicting equivalent changes in literary adaptation at T3. After adjusting for T1 variables, CLPM and RI-CLPM findings were stable. The link between teacher-student interactions and literary adaptation was partially due to state-like fluctuations within people and persistent, trait-like differences between individuals. Improving teacher-student interactions appears to be a promising way to help college students adjust academically.
Source:onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jad.12045
