ASSESSING THE ROLE OF TEACHER–STUDENT RAPPORT IN ACADEMIC SUCCESS

Abstract

The teacher- student interaction has come out as a significant predictor of academic achievement in modern education settings. More than the design of the curriculum and teaching approaches, interpersonal relationship between teachers and students is an important factor that determines the learning results, motivation, engagement, and the general performance of students. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the importance of teacher student rapport in academic success in various educational settings. Data were gathered using a mixed-method design by administering questionnaires (structured), academic reports (records of performance), and semi-structured interviews on the sample of secondary and higher education students. The quantitative analysis showed that there was a significant positive relationship between teacher student rapport and the indicators of academic performance in terms of grades, attendance and participation in the classroom. The qualitative results also demonstrated the same by illustrating that students who viewed themselves as having a good rapport with their teachers had greater confidence, intrinsic motivation, and persistence when engaging in learning activities. The paper highlights that teacher-student rapport is a direct and indirect contributor to academic accomplishment as it builds emotionally supportive learning environments and improves student engagement. The implications of the findings to teacher training programs, educational policy and classroom practices are significant, as it can be pointed out that relational pedagogy and instructional competence should be given priority.