Teacher-student ratings of social, emotional, behavioural needs among high school freshmen students

ABSTRACT

Students’ social, emotional, and behavioural (SEB) needs are associated with their academics and school behaviours, and teachers are in proximal roles to address students’ needs. However, it is unclear how teacher-student understanding of SEB needs relate to students’ academic achievement and behaviours. Based on 264 ninth-grade student-teacher dyads from one American semi-urban high school, teacher-student levels of SEB agreement were assessed and compared with students’ grade point averages, school attendance, and number of disciplinary referrals. Findings indicate that the degree of common agreement about SEB needs ranges from 48% (engagement) to 87% (bullying). Further, teacher-student agreement about externalising and bullying behaviours relates to students’ GPA and attendance. Agreement about an array of social skills also predicts students’ office disciplinary referrals. Understanding the level of agreement between teachers and students is critical in informing teacher professional development and SEB-related classroom instruction.

KEYWORDS:

• Informant agreement
• social emotional behavioural needs
• high school students
• high school teachers
• transition into high school

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) core members for consulting and conducting the analyses for this paper: Jesus Sarol, Jr., Fatima Ahmed, and Amandeep Kaur. The authors would also like to thank the following research assistants who assisted with this project: Caitlin Yore, Sheryl Coyle, Alexus Hasler, Gaurav Sinha, Alexis Gatses, Wang Yang, Jenna Mathews, Paisley Steward, Katie Fairbanks, and Lisa Whitecotten.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Illinois Campus Research Board [#RB17057]; Spencer Foundation [#201800085].

Notes on contributors

Kevin Tan

Kevin Tan is an assistant professor at the School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research focuses on youth social and emotional learning, specifically understanding patterns of risk and protective factors, developmental patterns of problem behaviors, and their social contextual influences.

Jenna White

Jenna White is currently a school social worker for Danville District 118 in Illinois. She obtained her Master’s in Social Work with a specialization in School Social Work from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. During this time, Jenna worked as Dr. Kevin Tan’s Research Assistant. Jenna also received her Bachelor’s in Social Work from Harding University, and served as an AmeriCorps volunteer.

Oejin Shin

Oejin Shin is a doctoral candidate at the School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests are in quantitative research methods, labor participation, and mental health among older adults.

Shongha Kim

Shongha Kim is a doctoral student at the School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests are in social and emotional learning in high school settings. She also has interests in restorative justice practices among delinquent youth and the impact of school violence and bullying.

Minh Dung Hoang Le

Minh Dung Hoang Le is currently a mental health clinician at the Asian Counseling and Referral Service in Seattle. His work focuses on understanding the mechanisms of intergenerational trauma and their impacts on later psychosocial development and psychopathology. Minh Dung received his BSc at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Clinical/Community Psychology, where he served as Dr. Kevin Tan’s Research Assistant.