Is building relationships the key to leadership?

Instructional designers are at the forefront of many interactions both within an organization and client‐facing. They are responsible for providing noteworthy learning experiences and ensuring the success of instructional programs. However, are instructional designers at a disadvantage because of a lack of interpersonal and building‐relationships skills? This article begins to uncover the notable absences of leadership and relationship‐building skills in professional and educational instructional design environments and the consequences to practicing and budding instructional designers.     

Beyond the breakup: Heterosexual and homosexual post‐dissolutional relationships

Although most romantic relationships will dissolve, few studies have examined the relationship formed between dating partners after their romance terminates. This study examines the post‐dissolutional relationships experienced by participants who were involved in same‐sex (N = 298) and opposite‐sex (N = 272) romantic relationships. The degrees to which ex‐partners experience interpersonal contact, emotional and sexual intimacy, and satisfaction in their post‐dissolutional relationships was examined. Further, two types of influences on post‐dissolutional relationship qualities were investigated. Variables that originated within the dyad or individuals (personal) had a stronger influence on relationship qualities than did variables that originated from the dyad's environment (structural). The importance of understanding post‐dissolutional relationships and future research suggestions are discussed.     

“It is not the same”: relationships and dementia

People living with dementia may live in relationship with partners, family members, and significant others. Dementia has been shown to impact on such relationships but relationships also impact on the dementia condition. Thirteen people took part in the study: all were caring for a person living with dementia and two were themselves living with dementia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants focusing on changes in close relationships, including changes in intimate (sexual) relationships where appropriate. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Four main themes were identified: changes in couple relationships; changes in non-partner relationships; talking about oneself in relationship; and talking about people with dementia in relationship. In conclusion, participants’ lived experiences highlight the need for ongoing relational support and an education-based counseling program that could potentially address many of participants’ highlighted needs.     

Adolescents' collaboration in the classroom: Do peer relationships or gender matter?

Peer collaboration can be a useful tool in a school classroom to help students perform at their best. With whom should students be paired, though? Previous research yields inconsistent findings regarding whether the benefits of peer collaboration depend on the gender or friendship of collaborators. We paired students with a same‐gender friend or a nonfriend in their classroom to examine whether friendship and specific dimensions of relationship quality were important for understanding adolescent (N = 132 high‐school students) boys' and girls' performance on a scientific reasoning task. Dimensions of relationship quality were related to task performance with greater perceived conflict predicting poorer performance. Girls outperformed boys, but the difference was marginal and nonsignificant after accounting for dimensions of relationship quality. Friends' and nonfriends' performance was similar. Results are informative for educators who use collaboration as an instructional technique and for other professionals who work to support the development of effective reasoning and problem‐solving skills among adolescents. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Adolescents’ psychological well-being and self-esteem in the context of relationships at school

Background:?The school environment has shown itself to be an important factor in explaining adolescent behaviour. The relationships and experiences that pupils have at school have been found to influence their development, psychological well-being, self-esteem and social adjustment.

Purpose:?The aim of the study is to explore whether there is a relationship between pupil–peer and pupil–teacher relationships and psychological well-being and self-esteem, and whether this relationship varies according to pupils’ experience of bullying or being bullied.

Sample: Data consisted of a sample of 3694 students (mean age?±?SD 14.3?±?0.62 years; 51% girls) from elementary schools in Slovakia.

Design and method:?Questionnaires were administered to the students. In terms of data analysis, linear regression was firstly used in the whole sample to explore pupil–peer and pupil–teacher relationships and psychological well-being (the depression/anxiety and social dysfunction subscales of GHQ-12) and self-esteem (positive and negative self-esteem subscales of RSE). Next, the whole sample was divided into four groups in terms of involvement in bullying (normative contrasts, passive victims, aggressive non-victims and aggressive victims). Linear regression was used to explore the associations between pupil–peer and pupil–teacher relationships with the two factors of psychological well-being and two factors of self-esteem in these four groups.

Results:?As findings showed, better pupil–peer relationships and also pupil–teacher relationships were significantly related statistically to less depression/anxiety and social dysfunction, as well as to more positive and less negative self-esteem. All bullying categories were significantly related to pupil–peer relationships and the four dependent variables. However, in the categories of aggressive victims and aggressive non-victims, the pupil–teacher relationship was not significantly related to their psychological well-being and self-esteem. Also, in all subgroups, better pupil–peer relationships were significantly related to less depression/anxiety and social dysfunction, as well as with more positive and less negative self-esteem.

Conclusion:?Given the differences found in the connections between pupil–teacher relationships and well-being and self-esteem, between those who bullied and those who were bullied, it would seem that the school environment can play an important role in implementing anti-bullying prevention strategies.     

Students’ peer relationships and their contribution to university adjustment: the need to belong in the university community

Whilst new friendships and an active social life are commonly discussed features of ‘being a student’, there is limited empirical research that has quantitatively studied the contribution that social factors play in students’ university experience. Research that has been conducted shows that belonging and social integration are important factors in successful transition to university, and subsequent retention. This article presents research into students’ social relationships at university, their attachment to the university, and how these elements link to university adjustment. Undergraduates (N = 135) completed questionnaires measuring their attachment to university peers, attachment to the university, experiences of problematic peer relationships and quality of adjustment to university life. Students who reported strong attachment to their peers also demonstrated higher levels of adjustment to university life and attachment to their university. Students who reported difficulties in their relationships with other students had lower levels of peer attachment and university adjustment. Attachment to university peers was the strongest predictor of university adjustment, followed by attachment to the university. The research highlights the role of social relationships in institutional belonging, and the importance of nurturing peer relationships and institutional affiliation to create a positive student experience.     

Positive teacher–student relationships go beyond the classroom,problematic ones stay inside

The authors voice teachers' perceptions of their interpersonal experiences with students in both positive and problematic relationships. Interview data from 28 teachers were examined by coding utterances on teacher and student interactions. Results indicate that teachers defined the quality of the relationship mostly by the level of communion (friendly vs. hostile), instead of by the level of agency (in control vs. powerless). Analyses of mentioned teacher and student behavior show a friendly interactional pattern for positive relationships and a hostile pattern for problematic ones. In teachers' perceptions, positive and problematic relationships also differed in context where encounters take place and topic of talk. Contrary to interactions in problematic relationships, encounters in positive relationships were mostly situated outside the classroom context and conversations during these encounters covered a wide range of topics. Implications for teacher education programs are discussed.     

Standing by … standing off – troublesome compassion in the relationships of school boys

This paper draws on the story of ‘Mikael’, a schoolboy from northern Finland, to examine how his affective ties of compassion and his pursuit of dominant forms of masculinity evolve in his journey from middle childhood to young adulthood. In his earlier years, Mikael's speech regarding his relationships with peers and family members indicates a non-hierarchical sympathetic orientation, enabling sensitivity to diverse vulnerabilities. Over time, his speech reflects more and more the ideals of dominating masculinity and hierarchical relationality, and it is marked by ‘inner-circle’ compassion that excludes people considered vulnerable and/or ‘Other’. The authors argue that the challenge of balancing compassionate concern, masculinity and social position generates heavy costs, imposing on young men not only the heavy burden of fulfilling the requirements of culturally esteemed masculinity, but also a partial loss of being in touch with one's inner faculties of emotions and imagination.     

Semantic relationships between contextual synonyms

Contextual synonym is a linguistic phenomenon often applied but rarely discussed. This paper is to discuss the semantic relationships between contextual synonyms and the requirements under which words can be used as contextual synonyms between each other. The three basic relationships are embedment, intersection and non-coherence. The requirements are discussed in the course of the discussion on the three relationships.     

Pre-adolescents’ representations of multiple attachment relationships: the role of perceived teacher interpersonal behaviour

Attachment theory proposes that early parent–child relationships provide the basis for all future close relationships of the individual, through childhood and adolescence into later life. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between parental attachment, peer attachment and students’ perceptions of their teacher’s interpersonal behaviour, in order to shed light on the channels through which these constructs relate. In doing so, we examined three proposed theoretical schemes of pre-adolescents’ representations of multiple relationships. As a side-goal, the psychometric properties of the Greek translations of the Revised Inventory of Parental and Peer Attachment (IPPA-R) and the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI-G) were investigated. Two independent samples comprising 270 and 306 pre-adolescents (grades 5–7), respectively participated in the study. Results supported a four-factor structure of the IPPA-R and an elliptical shape for the Interpersonal Teacher Circle measured by the QTI-G. The integrative scheme regarding pre-adolescents’ multiple adult relationships was supported by the data. Parental attachment relationships were found to be an important determinant of students’ perceptions of their teacher interpersonal behaviour, which in turn mediated the relationship between parental and peer attachment relationships. Results are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications.     

Building strong parent–teacher relationships in primary education: the challenge of two-way communication

This study investigates which subjects teachers talk about with parents in parent–teacher conferences and other contact moments, and how they communicate with regard to these subjects. Fifty-five in-depth interviews were carried out with teachers from special education schools, at-risk schools serving low socio-economic status children and mainstream primary education schools in the southern part of the Netherlands. The results illustrate that (1) two-way communication is used the most in at-risk schools, (2) teachers find it difficult to involve parents in the decision-making process concerning special care for the child, and (3) the teachers’ attitude towards parents is best when it comes to difficult discussion topics. When situations are really difficult, teachers stand alongside the parents instead of addressing them from their expert role, asking them ‘How can we solve this together?’. Teachers should be more aware of this quality, and not be afraid to address difficult subjects or conflicts.     

Job satisfaction and teacher–student relationships across the teaching career: Four case studies

We studied the development of teacher–student relationships and teachers' job satisfaction throughout the careers of four veteran teachers who retained high job satisfaction. Teacher data gathered with the narrative-biographical method were compared with students' perceptions of the teacher–student relationships, using the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction. Teachers' job satisfaction appeared positively related to the self-reported quality of the teacher–student relationships. Positive retrospective teacher perceptions did not always coincide with positive student perceptions. It appeared that teachers may have positive job satisfaction despite, in the eyes of the students, a poor teacher–student relationship.     

Boundary dilemmas in teacher–student relationships: Struggling with “the line”

The teacher–student relationship is viewed as integral to successful teaching and learning but, outside of a few exceptions, ethical boundary issues in this relationship have not been explored. The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' perspectives of their relationships with their students as well as how they described and negotiated relationship boundaries. Findings were organised into a typology of 11 categories of boundaries. The balance between demonstrating care while maintaining a healthy, productive level of control in the classroom was a recurring theme when discussing the boundaries.     

Environment–attitude relationships: girls in inquiry-based mathematics classrooms in the United Arab Emirates

Girls’ attitudes towards mathematics can impact their achievement and career choices in STEM fields. Can the introduction of inquiry-based learning (IBL) in mathematics classes generate positive associations between girls’ perceptions of the learning environment and their attitudes towards mathematics? Based in the United Arab Emirates, this study provided important information about the relationships between learning environment factors central to an inquiry method and student engagement. Data collection involved administering two surveys to female mathematics students (N?=?291) in four schools: one to assess students’ perceptions of the learning environment and another to assess students’ attitudes towards mathematics. Positive and statistically-significant (p?<?.01) associations emerged between learning environment factors important to an inquiry approach and students’ attitudes. These findings provide important information about how IBL might improve girls’ attitudes towards mathematics classes and whether IBL environments are related to their attitudes.

     

Developing sexual competence? Exploring strategies for the provision of effective sexualities and relationships education

School‐based sexualities and relationships education (SRE) offers one of the most promising means of improving young people's sexual health through developing ‘sexual competence’. In the absence of evidence on whether the term holds the same meanings for young people and adults (e.g. teachers, researchers, policy‐makers), the paper explores ‘adult’ notions of sexual competence as construed in research data and alluded to in UK Government guidance on SRE, then draws on empirical research with young people on factors that affect the contexts, motivations and outcomes of sexual encounters, and therefore have implications for sexual competence. These data from young people also challenge more traditional approaches to sexualities education in highlighting disjunctions between the content of school‐based input and their reported sexual experience. The paper concludes by considering the implications of these insights for developing a shared notion of what SRE is trying to achieve and suggestions for recognition in the content and approaches to SRE.     

Emotion regulation,teaching beliefs and child–teacher relationships from the perspectives of pre-school teachers

The way how pre-school teachers perceive their relationships they formed with their students, teaching beliefs regarding the profession and teachers’ competencies to regulate their emotions are effective issues in order to enhance teacher–child relationships. The participants of this research were 94 Turkish pre-school teachers and 282 children, 142 of whom were boys and 140 of whom were girls. It has been found out the cognitive reappraisal strategy used by teachers for emotion regulation increased with positive relationship perception of teachers. A positive relationship was revealed between the scores of sensitivity and verbal participation and level of closeness perceived within the child–teacher relationship. Moreover, there were meaningful and positive relationships between the level of sensitivity and suppression of the expression and cognitive reappraisal strategies considering emotion regulation. It has been understood that teachers perceived the relationships with girls closer though, when it comes to boys, the perception of conflict was prominently much higher.     

Young people’s perceptions of relationships and sexual practices in the abstinence-only context of Uganda

The Ugandan government has been criticised on several grounds for its abstinence-only policies on sexuality education directed towards young people. These grounds include the failure to recognise the multiple realities faced by young people, some of whom may already be sexually active. In the study reported on this paper, students’ perceptions of relationships and sexual practices were analysed to obtain an understanding of how young people construct and negotiate their sexual agency in the context of abstinence-only messages provided in Ugandan secondary schools and at the wider community level. Ten in-depth interviews and six focus group discussions were conducted with students aged 15–19 years (N = 55) at an urban co-educational secondary school. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using grounded theory. Findings show that students engage in sexual activity despite their belief that contraception is ineffective and their fears for the consequences. Students’ age, gender, financial capital and perceived sexual desire further increase risk and vulnerability. To improve their effectiveness, school-based sexuality education programmes should support students to challenge and negotiate structural factors such as gender roles and sociocultural norms that influence sexual practices and increase vulnerability and risk.     

Students’ relationships to knowledges,place identity and agency concerning the St. Lawrence river

Our study is framed according to a transformational-sociocritical approach to an education for sustainable development (ESD) that, in particular, considers landscapes as learning contexts of potential use for fostering engagement in the areas of environmental protection and sustainable development. In keeping with this perspective, we surveyed students aged 16–17 years from the Lower St. Lawrence region (Quebec, Canada) concerning their knowledge and perceptions of issues pertaining to the St. Lawrence, the river facing them on an everyday basis, and about their role as citizens in that connection. In respect of theoretical considerations, we propose developing the concepts of relationships to knowledge, place identity and agency. An analysis of questionnaires (N=334) has served to: bring out the learnings and issues pertaining to the St. Lawrence River that students consider to be meaningful; characterise the various identity-centred relationships with this landscape; and define the eco-civic agency of the students surveyed. The results of this analysis then provide a basis for some proposals for an ESD curriculum relating to the St. Lawrence River that is rooted in students’ concerns. While the environmental issues dealt with occur locally, the potential transfer of results into other curricula and educational contexts is also discussed.