By Dr Yvonne Seng
Lecturer, National Institute of Education - Psychology and Child & Human Development, NIE,  NTU
Published: 1 May 2023

Overview

Research has shown that parent-child and teacher-student relationships contribute to children and adolescents holistic development and well-being (Shi et al., 2022). These relationships are critical for building a positive environment for children's and adolescents' social, emotional and academic growth (Bronfenbrenner, 2005). An expanding corpus of literature has highlighted that positive relationships with parents and teachers can serve as an influential protective factor to steer them away from engaging in at-risk behaviours, such as delinquency, self-harm, substance abuse, and truancy (Collins & Laursen, 2004; Wang et al., 2010). This holds significant importance in Singapore, where there is a strong emphasis on the holistic development and well-being of the students.

The Singapore Context

Singapore's educational system is renowned for its rigorous academic standards and high achievement rates. Singapore is ranked as one of the highest-performing education systems in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 (OECD, 2019). While these contribute to the nation's overall success and competitiveness, they can inevitably increase the pressure on Singaporean students to perform academically. This pressure, combined with other factors like relationships with significant others, socio-economic conditions, and peer and social influences, can lead some students to engage in at-risk behaviours.

Recently, numerous videos depicting student altercations and physical and emotional bullying have circulated on social media, raising public concerns about youth violence. In 2021, an alarming fatal incident in school left the entire nation in shock. A teenager was brutally attacked by a 16-year-old schoolmate with an axe inside a school toilet. Currently aged 18, the alleged perpetrator faces a charge of culpable homicide. Singapore, typically known for its safety and low crime rates, found itself grappling with this tragic event. Such aggressive and violent actions threaten the cohesion of a society like Singapore, undermining its sense of security and prompting citizens to question the causes of these occurrences.

To mitigate these concerns, it is essential first to recognize the importance of nurturing robust parent-child and teacher-student relationships concerning students in Singapore. Family and school are vital parts of the Singapore social fabric, and they make up a critical part of the students' micro- and meso-systems (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006). The quality of relationships with parents and teachers can significantly affect students' behaviour regulation (Acar et al., 2018). By fostering strong relationships with students, parents and teachers can gain insight into their inner world, better understand their needs, and offer appropriate support and guidance.

Family is where children and adolescents spend most of their time and has unequivocal influences on their behaviours (Luo et al., 2021). Empirical evidence supports the correlation between positive adult-child relationships and positive behavioural, cognitive, emotional and social outcomes (Obsuth et al., 2023). Such positive relationships are vital to students' healthy development and prevent engagement in at-risk behaviours. Shi and colleagues (2023) reported that a positive parent-adolescent relationship predicted lower emotional and behavioural problems. A positive relationship with parents mitigates the detrimental effects of adverse factors and safeguards students from unfavorable developmental outcomes.

Apart from the time children spend with their parents at home, interactions with teachers constitute the most significant portion of their day spent with adults. The proportion of time spent in school gradually increases as they move on to secondary school. Consequently, emphasizing the importance of teacher-student relationships is well-founded. Burgeoning literature points to the importance of a positive school experience as a stressor buffer for children and adolescents (Baker, 2006; Brophy-Herb et al., 2007; DiLalla et al., 2004; Edwards et al., 2007; Hamre & Pianta, 2001; Roeser et al., 1996). Research has shown that the quality of teacher-student relationships is a robust predictor of students' social-emotional development (Heatly & Votruba-Drzal, 2017; Lippard et al., 2018; Spilt et al., 2012) and teacher-student relationships with high-level of closeness and low level of conflict yield more optimal outcomes (Ansari et al., 2020). A positive bond with school is related to positive prosocial attitudes and decreased rates of juvenile delinquency (Theimann, 2016). Positive teacher-student relationships moderate the impact of parent-child conflicts on adolescents' misconduct, while negative teacher- student relationships, coupled with a history of parental conflict, reported most misconduct (Wang et al., 2013). Relationships characterized by closeness foster the growth of academic, social-behavioural, and aspirational outcomes, while conflictual relationships can hinder adolescent success (Pianta, 2016).

According to Bronfenbrenner and Morris (2006), adult-child relationships and interactions are essential proximal processes cumulative over time and significantly influence students' long-term development. Given the long-term impact on students' holistic development, it is imperative to establish positive relationships between their parents and teachers to achieve the most desirable outcomes.

In Practice

Establishing positive and supportive relationships between parents, children, teachers, and students necessitates a multifaceted approach emphasizing communication, trust, and understanding. Empirical evidence has identified various evidence-based practices that parents and teachers can implement to cultivate robust relationships with their children and students:

1.  Open communication in a safe environment: Encourage open communication between adult and child with regular engagement in discussions about their experiences, friendships, fear, aspirations and other aspects of the child's life (Epstein & Sheldon, 2006). Foster a safe and trusting environment and practise empathic active listening by giving them the space and time to speak without interruption, showing genuine interest, respect their thoughts and opinions (Vitalaki & Katsarou, 2021). Cultivate empathy and understanding towards their emotions and challenges, validating their feelings and offering support and guidance whenever necessary while recognizing and celebrating their successes and providing them with a caring and enabling environment.

2.  Autonomy-supportive practices: Adopt an autonomy-supportive approach to provide a nurturing environment to promote a sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness to fulfil their three basic psychological needs and facilitates their exploration, expression of emotions and decision-making (Ryan & Deci, 2017). Parents and teachers can help build strong, trusting relationships that contribute to positive outcomes across various domains by respecting their autonomy and supporting their development.

3.  Collaborative problem-solving and shared decision-making: Encourage collaboration with them to solve problems and make decisions; this empowers them with a sense of ownership and accountability in their development and learning (Epstein & Sheldon, 2019).

4.  Positive encouragement and reinforcement: Recognize and reinforce their efforts, achievements and positive behaviours with positive encouragement to promote their sense of competence (Reeve & Cheon, 2021) and self-worth (Schunk & Meece, 2006). When parents and teachers provide positive encouragement and reinforcement, they feel validated and supported and will be motivated to continue their efforts. This plays a pivotal role in fostering positive adult-child relationships.

5.  Proactive monitoring and supporting well-being: Actively initiate efforts to build positive adult-child relationships, offering ongoing support. Remain vigilant in identifying potential warning signs and red flags in students, and provide genuine care and guidance to help them avoid engagement in at-risk behaviours.

The Take Aways

Developing robust and positive parent-child and teacher-student relationships is instrumental for Singapore's students' well-being and holistic development. These positive relationships serve as protective factors against at-risk behaviours and promote a sense of autonomy, competence, belongingness, self-worth, and resilience (Ryan & Deci, 2017; Schunk & Meece, 2006; Wang et al., 2010). Parents and teachers must prioritize and invest in building these relationships through open communication, active listening, empathy, autonomy-supportive practices, collaborative problem-solving, shared decision-making, and providing the necessary support, encouragement and reinforcement.

In conclusion, fostering positive parent-child and teacher-student relationships is a critical step towards reducing at-risk behaviours and promoting the healthy development of Singapore's students. By working together, parents, teachers, and schools can understand the needs of the students and create a caring, supportive and enabling environment that allows children and adolescents to thrive academically and emotionally.

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