“Relationships can change everything” - The role of the whole school system in building positive teacher-pupil relationships

Previous research has highlighted the impact of teacher-pupil relationships on the cognitive, emotional and social development of children and young people of all ages.

This thesis seeks to further explore the role of whole school systems in promoting the development of positive teacher-pupil relationships.

The systematic literature review examines the impact of teacher training, professional development and coaching interventions on the quality of teacher-pupil relationships and other associated pupil outcomes.

A total of thirteen studies were included as part of this review, which included data gathered across a wide age range, from the early years and up to secondary school settings.

Findings highlighted a range of predominantly small effects of these interventions on teacher-pupil relationship and interaction quality, and well as other factors including perception of problematic behaviours and academic self-concept.

The researcher concludes the review by discussing implications for future EP practice.

The empirical paper adds to the current research by exploring the impact of the whole school system in promoting positive relationships between staff and pupils.

A case study design, using semi-structured interviews and a document analysis, was employed to gather the views of school staff working within one secondary school context.

Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes within the data.

These themes are presented to illustrate the range of factors staff perceived as being important for building positive teacher-pupil relationships as part of their everyday practice.

The researcher concludes by evaluating the strengths and limitations of this research, as well as highlighting implications for professional practice.