PRISMA – Putting Dyadic Teacher-Child Relationships under the Microscope

Project Description

Working memory is a key ability for school success and lifelong achievement. Beyond biological maturation, daily relationships between children and teachers play a crucial role in its development. Factors such as a family’s social and economic situation also affect both working memory and the quality of these relationships. While previous studies mainly focused on differences between children, recent findings show that working memory performance and teacher–child relationships can vary greatly from day to day within the same child. How such daily changes shape development, however, is still largely unknown. This project addresses this gap: First, two systematic reviews will summarise risk factors for working memory and teacher–child relationships. Building on this, an ambulatory assessment study with more than 200 fourth graders in Flanders will be conducted. In addition to pre- and post-tests, daily data on working memory and teacher-child relationships will be collected over four weeks.

Project Objectives

For the first time, it is examined how everyday fluctuations in teacher-child relationships influence learning in the short term and help shape long-term developmental pathways.

Funding

Publications

Blume, F., Irmer, A., Dirk, J., & Schmiedek, F. (2022). Day-to-day variation in students’ academic success: The role of self-regulation, working memory, and achievement goals. Developmental Science, 00(e13301). https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13301

Sankalaite, S., Huizinga, M., Warreyn, P., Dewandeleer, J., & Baeyens, D. (2023). The association between working memory, teacher-student relationship, and academic performance in primary school children. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1240741

Vandenbroucke, L., Verschueren, K., Desoete, A., Aunio, P., Ghesquière, P., & Baeyens, D. (2018). Crossing the bridge to elementary school: The development of children’s working memory components in relation to teacher-student relationships and academic achievement. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 42, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2017.08.004

Project Management

• Prof. Dr. Dieter Baeyens
• Dr. Friederike Blume

Project Team

Project Details