Exploring Teacher-Student Relationships as a Positive Behaviour Management Strategy in Irish Primary Schools: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

This thesis is anchored in the practice of an Irish primary school teacher. Irish teachers are reporting greater numbers of students exhibiting challenging behaviours in their classrooms. Classroom behaviour is one of the biggest causes of teacher stress and burnout and the past few years have witnessed an increase in demand for behavioural support services in primary schools. This research responds to these challenges by exploring the potential application of teacher-student relationships as a positive behaviour management strategy in Irish primary schools. This study investigates the link between teacher-student relationships, analyses the effects of teacher-student relationships on student behaviour, identifies the most successful strategies for cultivating relationships and examines whether these strategies can be learned or if they are dependent on the personality of the teacher. A review of relevant literature revealed a lacuna in this theme from the Irish perspective. This research adopts a systematic literature review approach as a methodology to identify relevant studies from the international perspective. Findings from these studies were subjected to a meta-analysis. Together with the evidence gathered through the review of the literature, the resulting data emphasises the value and importance of teacher-student relationships as a positive behaviour management strategy. Potential applications of such relationships to the Irish primary school classroom are outlined and a list of ten strategies for cultivating positive relationships is provided. This thesis concludes with the recommendation that teacher-student relationships be promoted as a response to the increased levels of behavioural difficulties in Irish primary schools.