Teacher-student relationships and mathematics achievement: the role of socioeconomic status and gender in Chile from a longitudinal and comparative perspective

Thesis

Students’ relational experiences with their teachers are central in everyday school interactions, with important consequences for students’ cognitive and socioemotional outcomes. While extensive research explores strategies to enhance school climate, less is understood about the role of teacher-student relationships (TSR), particularly how they vary by student gender and socioeconomic status (SES). Notably, research exploring the differential effects of TSR on mathematics achievement for adolescent students, specifically considering gender and socioeconomic disparities, their evolution over time, and cross-national variations, remains scarce. This study explores gender and socioeconomic differences in students’ perceived relationships with their teachers, their association with mathematics achievement on three measurement occasions in Chile, and their differences with Peru, Paraguay, Spain, Sweden and Denmark in 2022. Drawing on school gender culture and Hoftede’s cultural values theories, we conduct a repeated cross-sectional analysis of data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) for the years 2009, 2012, and 2022. Using ordinary least square (OLS) regression models, our findings indicate that SES does not moderate the association between gender and TSR in Chile, consistent with Peru, Paraguay, Spain, Sweden, and Denmark. The gender gap in TSR widened in favour of males in PISA 2012 and 2022, with no significant intersectionality between gender and SES in TSR over time in Chile. Boys experience enhanced mathematics achievement with better TSR, especially in Paraguay, Spain, and Denmark, but not in Chile, Peru, or Sweden. In Spain and Sweden, socioeconomically advantaged students benefit more academically from positive TSR, evidenced by higher mathematics achievement, a pattern not observed in Chile, Paraguay, or Denmark. From PISA 2009 to 2022 in Chile, an intensification in the magnitude of the association between TSR and mathematics achievement was observed. The results are discussed considering the recent educational policies implemented in Chile.

Authors: Montero, M

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-pmmv40yk2
• Type of award: MSc taught course
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: teacher-student relationship; mathematics achievement; gender; socioeconomic status; PISA
• Subjects: Gender; Academic achievement; Education; Socioeconomic status; Regression analysis; Teacher-student relationships; PISA (Computer system)