The Role of the Teacher in Influencing Student Outcomes in Secondary School

The cultural-social theory of cognitive development identifies the importance of social relationships in successful cognitive development and academic achievement in children. This study has continued previous research in a tertiary bridging program at a regional university and examines the role that poor student-teacher relationships had in acting as a barrier to successful academic achievement in secondary school. The major contributors to the poor student-teacher relationships were identified as the perception of a lack of care and support from teachers and differential teacher behaviour based upon the teachers' perception of student academic ability. The impact of these poor relationships resulted in a lower level of academic engagement, ability to cope with the curriculum complexity and academic achievement. The implications in terms of the current standards for Australian teachers is discussed.