Positive teacher–student relationships relate to math outcomes through self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation, belonging, engagement, and mathematics identity¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · checked against its sources 2026-10-17 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? In a nationally representative study of 14,639 10th-graders, more positive perceived teacher–student relationships were associated with significantly higher math self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation, which correlated positively with math achievement. → Fitz 2025 q2 i? In a study of nearly 20,000 9th-graders, students reported greater mathematics identity when teachers valued student ideas, treated students fairly, and communicated that mistakes are OK; mathematics identity mediated the relationship–achievement association. → Fitz 2025 (2)

Evidence¶

Fitz 2025¶

Fitz, J. (with Price, H.). (2025). Positive conditions for mathematics learning: An overview of the research. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/967.472

q2 · i? · associational · r?

Large-scale nationally representative correlational study of 10th-graders; students with more positive relationship perceptions reported "significantly higher levels of self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation in math" than peers with less positive perceptions; no effect size printed.

"In a large-scale nationally representative study of 14,639 10th-graders, students with more positive perceptions of their teacher–student relationships reported significantly higher levels of self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation in math than their peers who reported less positive teacher–student relationships."

Fitz 2025 (2)¶

Fitz, J. (with Price, H.). (2025). Positive conditions for mathematics learning: An overview of the research. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/967.472

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Nationally representative study of nearly 20,000 9th-graders by Luis Miguel Fernández and colleagues; mathematics identity, shaped by teacher practices such as communicating that "mistakes are OK so long as all students learn," mediated the association between teacher relationships and math achievement.

"In this study, students’ mathematics identity mediated the association between students’ positive teacher relationships and their math achievement."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Belonging — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Motivation — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Self-Efficacy — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Belongingness is among the factors that most strongly and reliably affect learners' academic motivation and achievement — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• Positive teacher–student relationships are associated with greater student engagement and, more weakly, with achievement — a broader claim this one bears on
• Strengthening the student-educator relationship can contribute positively to marginalised students' self-efficacy and sense of belonging in higher education — related
• Self-determination theory holds that autonomy support raises intrinsic motivation, and a meta-analysis finds expected tangible rewards undermine it — related
• Students with a stronger sense of belonging tend to show more academic self-confidence, motivation, engagement and achievement (review reports Pedler et al.) — related
• Learners' task-specific self-efficacy beliefs predict whether they initiate, persist through, and recover from difficulty on academic tasks. — related
• School belonging mediates the higher intrinsic motivation of Dominican children relative to European-American peers — related