Teacher-student relationships, student engagement, and academic achievement for early adolescents in general and Latino youth: A review of the literatur

I critically reviewed and synthesized research on teacher-student relationships in relation to student engagement and academic achievement for early adolescents in general and Latino youth. I situated my review within an integrative theoretical framework involving self-determination theory and ecological theory. Teacher-student relationships (teacher emotional support, instrumental help, clear expectations, and classroom safety) and student engagement (behavioral, emotional, and cognitive) were both conceptualized as multidimensional constructs. In general, findings were more similar than different for early adolescents in general and Latino youth, with positive associations between teacher-student relationships and student engagement and academic achievement. The results on the moderation effect of gender for early adolescents in general were mixed. The quality of the literature for early adolescents in general was more rigorous and stronger, although both bodies of literature featured theoretical framework and reasonably rigorous methodologies. Future directions are provided by focusing on the overall findings and quality of the literature.