Having conflicts with teachers can make children lose interest in studying

Kindergarten is an important stage in any child’s academic journey. It’s their first steps in developing academic skills in both literacy and math. Sending your kids to kindergarten also enables them to interact with new people like new friends and new teachers.

But your child’s relationship with their teachers is more important than you think. 

A new study, part of the Teacher Stress Study from the University of Jyväskylä, the University of Eastern Finland and the New York University of Abu Dhabi, suggests that teacher-perceived conflict among children may reduce their interest in studying. 

Conflicts reduce interest and motivation among kids

Out of the 461 Finnish kindergarteners aged 6 years old and 48 of their teachers who participated in the study, the results showed how conflicts with their teachers made them lose interest in both reading and math.

When children experience these conflicts with teachers, their negative feelings reflect on their motivation to do academic tasks. This could lead also lead to the child losing interest in participating in activities. 

Researchers have also found that kids who go through problems with their teachers may lose their time meant for studying literacy and math. 

They found two primary possibilities in why this occurs which are either the child diminished engagement on activities or due to teachers focusing more on instructional time for behavioural management.  

Importance of teacher-student academic relationships

Parents should be more concerned about what motivates their children to learn and the environment they are in for researchers have found just how essential teacher-child relationships are in developing their academic skills. 

The study was able to bring up just how much a kindergarten teacher’s relationship with their students could influence their future school experiences. 

To prevent this from happening, researchers suggested programmes and interventions where teachers could learn how to have supportive relationships with their students to encourage them to strive for academic achievements.

“Compared to daycare, kindergarten introduces children to a more structured learning environment. The experiences children gain in this environment may have long-term consequences on the development of their academic motivation and competencies.

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Therefore, it is essential that our teachers are aware of the power their interaction with children may have, and that they are supported in finding optimal ways to interact with each child, while taking individual strengths and needs into consideration,” said ProfessorJaana Viljaranta from the University of Eastern Finland.

This article was first published in theAsianparent. Any views or opinions expressed in this article are personal and belong solely to the author; and do not represent those of theAsianparent or its clients.