Profiles of adolescents' peer and teacher relatedness: Differences in well-being and academic achievement across latent groups

Abstract

In this study, we identied distinct clusters based on adolescents' relatedness with peers and teachers, and examined how students with different patterns or configurations of school-based relatedness qualities fare in their psychological and academic adjustment. A total of 1964 middle school students (M age = 15 years) participated in the study. We used latent profile analysis to identify meaningful patterns of peer and teacher relatedness and found that low feelings of relatedness with or responsiveness from the teacher do not necessarily result in poor school outcomes (low grades or low well-being) if students have at least moderate feelings of relatedness with their classmates. Results provide a better understanding of profiles of students who maybe at risk for poor school adjustment, low grades, or school drop-out while offering a window into potential factors that protect or promote students' well-being and achievement.