Association between the teacher-student relationship and teacher visual focus of attention in Grade 1: student task avoidance and gender as moderators

• Published in: Educational psychology (Dorchester-on-Thames) Vol. 44; no. 3; pp. 265 - 283
• Main Authors: Chaudhuri, Saswati, Pakarinen, Eija, Muhonen, Heli, Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dorchester-on-Thames Routledge 15.03.2024; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Educational psychology; Elementary school students; Gender; grade 1; Student teacher relationship; task-avoidant behaviour; teacher-student relationships; Teachers' visual focus of attention
• ISSN: 0144-3410; 1469-5820
• DOI: 10.1080/01443410.2024.2346104

This study investigated associations between quality of the teacher-student relationship (closeness and conflict) and teachers' (N = 48) visual focus of attention in Grade 1 classrooms in fall and spring, and it explored to what extent students' (N = 650) gender and task-avoidant behaviour moderated the associations. Results showed first that teacher-student closeness was positively associated with teachers' visual focus of attention in the fall and spring, whereas teacher-student conflict was positively associated with teachers' visual focus of attention only in the spring. In addition, the results of multigroup analysis showed that students' task-avoidant behaviour had a moderating effect on the association between the quality of the teacher-student relationship and teachers' visual focus of attention in the spring, but gender did not.