Teacher-student relationship measurement in middle/secondary wellbeing research is highly varied and mostly relies on tools formulated for primary school relationships¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · review r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? The STRS, designed for primary school students, was the most frequently used relationship measure (n = 9 studies), often adapted with changes rarely reported. → Rhoda Lai 2026 q2 i? Most studies adopted tools and definitions formulated for primary school teacher-student relationships. → Rhoda Lai 2026 (2)

Evidence¶

Rhoda Lai 2026¶

Rhoda Lai, Jennifer Southam, Luella Mageean, Sue Roffey, Kelly-Ann Allen. (2026). Associations Between Teacher-Student Relationship Quality and Middle and Secondary School Teachers' Wellbeing: A Systematic Review. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10107-2

q2 · i? · review · r3

The review's analysis of relationship measures across the 55 studies found the STRS most frequent, with language usually adapted for older students "though the precise changes made were rarely reported". The authors note such adaptations likely affect reliability and validity.

"the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS), particularly its Closeness and Conflict subscales or in its short form, was the most frequently used (n = 9) despite being originally designed for use with primary school students"

Rhoda Lai 2026 (2)¶

Rhoda Lai, Jennifer Southam, Luella Mageean, Sue Roffey, Kelly-Ann Allen. (2026). Associations Between Teacher-Student Relationship Quality and Middle and Secondary School Teachers' Wellbeing: A Systematic Review. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10107-2

q2 · i? · review · r3

The review reports "wide variation in how teacher-student relationships were measured and defined" across the included literature, with most studies using primary-school-formulated tools and definitions in middle/secondary settings.

"There was wide variation in how teacher-student relationships were measured and defined, with majority of the studies adopting tools and definitions that were formulated for primary school teacher-student relationships"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Positive teacher-student relationships are associated with each PERMA wellbeing element and overall wellbeing in middle and secondary school teachers — related
• Relatedness with students predicted teacher wellbeing for elementary but not middle/secondary school teachers in one study, while other studies found associations in secondary samples — related
• There is a need for a standardised, validated wellbeing instrument suitable for longitudinal use to evaluate primary-secondary transitions interventions — related
• Conflictual teacher-student relationships are more strongly linked to teacher stress and burnout than relationship closeness — related
• Interventions targeting teacher-student relationships improved relationship ratings, but effects on teacher wellbeing were mixed — related