The role of affective teacher-student relationships in adolescents’ school engagement and achievement trajectories

This longitudinal study investigated the role of teacher-student closeness and conflict in adolescents' school engagement trajectories, how dimensions predict achievement trajectories. A sample 5,382 adolescents (Mage.wave1 = 13.06, SD 0.51; 49.6% boys) were followed from Grade 7 to 9. Yearly measures included student reports on dimensions, teacher conflict, standardized tests for math achievement. Latent growth models revealed that positively negatively predicted students' engagement. Furthermore, behavioral emotional engagement, disaffection particular, played an important predicting within same schoolyear. Moreover, increases aligned with reduced steeper between 9, respectively. In general, this underscores importance adolescents’ affective relationships their school,