Sa Li- College of Teacher Education, Pingdingshan University, Pingdingshan, China
Given the centrality of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students’ wellbeing in their academic success, identifying factors that may be influential in fostering students’ well-being is of high importance. As such, several studies have delved into the role of various personal and interpersonal factors in increasing EFL students’ well-being. However, little attention has been devoted to the function of teacher-student rapport. Besides, no systematic or theoretical review has been conducted in this regard. To address these gaps, the present study intends to illustrate different definitions of student well-being and teacher-student rapport, their sub-components, and their theoretical relations. Building upon the theoretical and empirical bases, the facilitative function of teacher-student rapport in increasing EFL students’ well-being was proved. Some beneficial implications are also discussed.
Introduction
Relationships with pupils are a key component of any instructional-learning context (Noble et al., 2021). While a negative relationship with students may result in their aggression, apprehension, sadness, anxiety, and stress (Frisby et al., 2014; Alnuzaili and Uddin, 2020), a positive teacher-student relationship may culminate in desirable student-related outcomes (Wubbels et al., 2016; Xie and Derakhshan, 2021). Accordingly, building strong and positive relationships with students has been among the main concerns of all instructors, and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers are not an exception by any means. The positive relationships and connections that teachers aim to create with their pupils is called teacher-student rapport (Catt et al., 2007). Frisby and Martin (2010) defined this construct as an overall feeling between teachers and their students that comprises a mutual and trustworthy bond. Reyes and Von Anthony (2020) further referred to this concept as “a harmonious teacher–student relationship which identified with enjoyment, connection, respect, and mutual trust” (p. 2). To establish such a harmonious relationship, teachers should care about their pupils, pay attention to their efforts, and value their personal comments (Wilson and Ryan, 2013). As put forward by Frisby et al. (2017), being humorous, responsive, and supportive also enables teachers to build a close relationship with their students.
To illustrate the value of teacher-student rapport in classroom contexts, Houser and Hosek (2018) postulated that a positive connection between teachers and students can provide a healthy and friendly atmosphere which is crucial for students’ academic growth and development. In this regard, Culpeper and Kan (2020) also stated that forming strong bonds with pupils not only motivates students to actively engage in different stages of learning, but also empowers them to cope with the challenges and difficulties of the learning process. Xie and Derakhshan (2021) also submitted that positive communication behaviors, including rapport, can lead to favorable student-related outcomes.
Due to the prominence of teacher-student rapport in educational contexts, a large amount of inquiries have delved into the effects of this positive communication behavior on a variety student-related factors, including motivation (e.g., Bouras and Keskes, 2014; Maulana et al., 2014; Koca, 2016; Frisby et al., 2017; Henry and Thorsen, 2018; Zheng et al., 2021), academic engagement (e.g., Lee, 2012; Pianta et al., 2012; Quin, 2017; Roorda et al., 2017; Varga, 2017; Martin and Collie, 2019), academic success (e.g., Estepp and Roberts, 2013; Lammers and Gillaspy, 2013; Glazier, 2016), and academic achievement/learning outcomes (e.g., Yunus et al., 2011; Hughes et al., 2012; Demir et al., 2019; Mellgren, 2020; Wellington, 2021). Nevertheless, the impact of teacher-student rapport on other student-related factors, including well-being, has not been widely examined (Holfve-Sabel, 2014; Graham et al., 2016; Farhah et al., 2021).
The concept of well-being has been generally defined as “the mental health indicator shown by individual ability to cope with pressures in ordinary life, be productive, and be able to contribute to society” (World Health Organization, 2004, as cited in Aulia et al., 2020, p. 2). In Garg and Rastogi’s (2009) words, well-being pertains to “one’s degree of happiness and satisfaction with his/her life, work, and physical and mental health” (p. 43). Building upon Garg and Rastogi’s (2009) definition of well-being, student well-being refers to the amount of satisfaction and happiness that students experience in educational environments (Long et al., 2012). According to Keyes and Annas (2009), student well-being is not only about the presence of happiness and satisfaction or the absence of psychological disorders such as sadness, depression, apprehension, and anxiety. To them, student well-being has also something to do with how students can improve their capabilities to successfully pursue their academic goals. As put forward by Mashford-Scott et al. (2012), students who enjoy an optimum level of well-being can gain higher academic achievements. Similarly, Tian et al. (2015) also noted that students with high level of well-being typically demonstrate a sense of connectedness and attachment to educational environments that lead them toward academic success. Hence, investigating the antecedents or predictors of student well-being seems to be critical. As a response to this necessity, some researchers studied various student-related factors (e.g., Shochet and Smith, 2012; Stallman et al., 2018), teacher-related factors (e.g., Brandseth et al., 2019; Harding et al., 2019; Braun et al., 2020; Lavy and Naama-Ghanayim, 2020), and context-related factors (e.g., Kutsyuruba et al., 2015; Littlecott et al., 2018; Nguyen et al., 2021) that may effectively contribute to higher levels of students’ well-being. Nonetheless, a little attention has been dedicated to teacher-student rapport and its probable effects on student well-being. To put simply, only a few empirical studies (Holfve-Sabel, 2014; Graham et al., 2016) have delved into the impact of teacher-student rapport on students’ level of well-being. Furthermore, no study in a form of review has been conducted to explain the effects of teacher-student rapport on student well-being. To address the aforementioned gaps, the present review inquiry intends to illustrate the effects of teacher-student rapport on EFL students’ well-being by referring to the existing evidence.
Teacher-Student Rapport
Rapport as an interpersonal behavior pertains to “one’s ability to maintain harmonious relationships based on affinity for others” (Faranda and Clarke, 2004, p. 272). Frisby and Martin (2010) further described this concept as “an overall feeling between two people encompassing a mutual, trusting, and prosocial bond” (p. 147). Extending this definition to the educational context, Lammers and Byrd (2019) conceptualized teacher-student rapport as a mutual bond between teachers and students that inspires them to collaborate with each other in instructional-learning contexts. According to Weimer (2010), respecting students’ ideas, paying attention to their educational needs, and valuing their academic efforts are vital for building a strong rapport with pupils. Similarly, Wilson et al. (2010) argued that those instructors who care about their learners’ needs, interests, and preferences can make a mutual and friendly relationship with them. Further, Estepp and Roberts (2015) also submitted that through verbal (e.g., using humor, asking about learners’ viewpoints, etc.) and non-verbal immediacy cues (e.g., smiling, nodding, etc.) teachers can establish close relationships with their pupils.
Student Well-Being
The concept of student well-being has been conceptualized differently by several scholars (Graham et al., 2017). To put simply, no consensus has been reached on the definition of student well-being and its’ underlying components (Powell et al., 2018). In their study, De Fraine et al. (2005) defined this construct as “the emotional experience shown by the domination of positive emotion and cognition about the learning environments, instructors, and peers” (p. 299). In another definition, Garg and Rastogi (2009) described student well-being as the extent to which students feel happy and satisfied in educational environments. To characterize the underlying components of student well-being, Miller et al. (2013) divided this construct into three main dimensions, namely psychological well-being (i.e., absence of psychological disorders), school connectedness (i.e., have a sense of attachment), and relationships with teachers and classmates (i.e., healthy relationships with others). In a different categorization, Renshaw et al. (2015) grouped the components of student well-being under four main categories of sense of connectedness, sense of efficacy, educational goal, and preference of studying.
According to Brandseth et al. (2019), teachers can remarkably enhance student well-being by supporting their pupils in the process of learning. In this regard, Braun et al. (2020) also postulated that teachers who are able to regulate their negative emotions in classroom contexts can drastically influence students’ well-being in a positive way. It is solely due to the fact that such teachers can easily provide a pleasant learning atmosphere which is highly essential for students’ sense of happiness and satisfaction. As Graham et al. (2016) noted, affective teacher-students relationships can facilitate student well-being as well.
The Role of Teacher-Student Rapport on English as a Foreign Language Students’ Well-Being
Drawing on the “rhetorical-relational goal theory” (Mottet et al., 2006), the impact of teacher-student rapport on EFL students’ well-being can be clearly illustrated. According to Mottet et al. (2006), through various relational and rhetorical communication behaviors such as rapport, language teachers can provide an enjoyable learning atmosphere wherein students will experience a range of positive emotions, including joy, happiness, and contentment, which are directly related to their well-being (Long et al., 2012). Similarly, Maybury (2013) also stated that strong rapport between instructors and learners provide a stress-free atmosphere in which students’ well-being can be dramatically improved. In a similar vein, Luo et al. (2020) also posited that having positive relationships with instructors enables pupils to mitigate their stress, anxiety, and apprehension that are detrimental to their emotional and psychological well-being (He et al., 2018).
Empirical Studies
Given the fact that teacher-student rapport lies at the heart of education (Xie and Derakhshan, 2021), considerable attention has been devoted to its positive educational outcomes (Roorda et al., 2011; Opdenakker et al., 2012; Lucas-Molina et al., 2015; Ma et al., 2018; Dennie et al., 2019; Meng, 2021; to cite a few). Nonetheless, the positive effects of this communication behavior on students’ well-being have not been widely studied (Holfve-Sabel, 2014; Graham et al., 2016). In her study, Holfve-Sabel (2014) examined the extent to which teacher-student relationship can influence students’ well-being. To do so, some valid measures of the variables were handed out among 1,540 students. The analysis of students’ answers revealed that positive relationships between teachers and students can positively influence students’ well-being in educational environments. In a similar vein, Graham et al. (2016) also probed into the role of teacher-student rapport in primary and secondary students’ well-being. In doing so, 606 students were interviewed. For the sake of triangulation, some reliable questionnaires were also distributed among participants. Analyzing the qualitative and quantitative data, the researchers found a positive and favorable connection between teacher-student rapport and students’ well-being. That is, most of the participants perceived teacher-student rapport as an influential factor in fostering students’ well-being.
Conclusion and Pedagogical Implications
So far, the existing definitions and classifications of student well-being and teacher-student rapport were fully reviewed. Building upon some related theories (e.g., rhetorical-relational goal theory), the positive connection between these two constructs was also illustrated. Additionally, the results of previous inquiries on teacher-student rapport and student well-being were summarized to exemplify the facilitative function of teacher-student rapport in fostering EFL students’ well-being. With regard to the empirical and theoretical evidence, one can safely conclude that close and friendly relationships between EFL teachers and their pupils can greatly contribute to students’ well-being. This finding could be incredibly beneficial for teacher trainers who are directly responsible for the efficient training of instructors. They are expected to teach both pre-service and in-service instructors how to build a strong rapport with pupils. It is largely due to the fact that many instructors, even the experienced ones, do not know how to develop mutual relationships with their students (Hajovsky et al., 2020). The finding of this review study may also be illuminating for EFL/ESL teachers. Due to the undeniable role of teacher-student rapport in enhancing students’ well-being (Maybury, 2013; Luo et al., 2020), teachers are required to attend some workshops or teacher-training courses on teacher-student rapport to become more proficient in establishing positive and close relationships with their pupils. Furthermore, from a positive psychology perspective, it is also suggested that teacher-student rapport can be correlated with such other positive emotions as loving pedagogy, resilience, emotion regulation, grit, engagement, and enjoyment (Wang et al., 2021).
Author Contributions
The author confirms being the sole contributor of this work and has approved it for publication.
Conflict of Interest
The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher’s Note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
References
Alnuzaili, E. S., and Uddin, N. (2020). Dealing with anxiety in foreign language learning classroom. J. Lang. Teach. Res. 11, 269–273. doi: 10.17507/jltr.1102.15
Aulia, F., Hastjarjo, T. D., Setiyawati, D., and Patria, B. (2020). Student well-being: a systematic literature review. Bull. Psychol. 28, 1–14. doi: 10.22146/buletinpsikologi.42979
Bouras, H., and Keskes, S. (2014). “Teacher-learner rapport impact on EFL learners’ motivation,” in A Paper Presented at the International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities, Istanbul.
Brandseth, O. L., Havarstein, M. T., Urke, H. B., Haug, E., and Larsen, T. (2019). Mental well-being among students in Norwegian upper secondary schools: the role of teacher support and class belonging. Norsk Epidemiol. 28, 49–58. doi: 10.5324/nje.v28i1-2.3050
Braun, S. S., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., and Roeser, R. W. (2020). Effects of teachers’ emotion regulation, burnout, and life satisfaction on student well-being. J. Appl. Dev. Psychol. 69:101151. doi: 10.1016/j.appdev.2020.101151
Catt, S., Miller, D., and Schallenkamp, K. (2007). You are the key: communicate for learning effectiveness. Education 127, 369–377.
Culpeper, J., and Kan, Q. (2020). Communicative styles, rapport, and student engagement: an online peer mentoring scheme. Appl. Linguist. 41, 756–786. doi: 10.1093/applin/amz035
De Fraine, B., Van Landeghem, G., Van Damme, J., and Onghena, P. (2005). An analysis of wellbeing in secondary school with multilevel growth curve models and multilevel multivariate models. Qual. Quant. 39, 297–316. doi: 10.1007/s11135-004-5010-1
Demir, M., Burton, S., and Dunbar, N. (2019). Professor–student rapport and perceived autonomy support as predictors of course and student outcomes. Teach. Psychol. 46, 22–33. doi: 10.1177/0098628318816132
Dennie, D., Acharya, P., Greer, D., and Bryant, C. (2019). The impact of teacher–student relationships and classroom engagement on student growth percentiles of 7th and 8th grade students. Psychol. Sch. 56, 765–780. doi: 10.1002/pits.22238
Estepp, C. M., and Roberts, T. G. (2013). Exploring the relationship between professor/student rapport and students’ expectancy for success and values/goals in college of agriculture classrooms. J. Agric. Educ. 54, 180–194. doi: 10.5032/jae.2013.04180
Estepp, C. M., and Roberts, T. G. (2015). Teacher immediacy and professor/student rapport as predictors of motivation and engagement. NACTA J. 59, 155–163.
Faranda, W. T., and Clarke, I. (2004). Student observations of outstanding teaching: implications for marketing educators. J. Mark. Educ. 26, 271–281.
Farhah, I., Saleh, A. Y., and Safitri, S. (2021). The role of student-teacher relationship to teacher subjective well-being as moderated by teaching experience. J. Educ. Learn. 15, 267–274. doi: 10.11591/edulearn.v15i2.18330
Frisby, B. N., Berger, E., Burchett, M., Herovic, E., and Strawser, M. G. (2014). Participation apprehensive students: the influence of face support and instructor–student rapport on classroom participation. Commun. Educ. 63, 105–123. doi: 10.1080/03634523.2014.881516
Frisby, B. N., and Martin, M. M. (2010). Instructor–student and student–student rapport in the classroom. Commun. Educ. 59, 146–164. doi: 10.1080/03634520903564362
Frisby, B. N., Slone, A. R., and Bengu, E. (2017). Rapport, motivation, participation, and perceptions of learning in U.S. and Turkish student classrooms: a replication and cultural comparison. Commun. Educ. 66, 183–195. doi: 10.1080/03634523.2016.1208259
Garg, P., and Rastogi, R. (2009). Effect of psychological wellbeing on organizational commitment of employees. J. Organ. Behav. 8, 42–51.
Glazier, R. A. (2016). Building rapport to improve retention and success in online classes. J. Polit. Sci. Educ. 12, 437–456. doi: 10.1080/15512169.2016.1155994
Graham, A., Powell, M. A., Thomas, N., and Anderson, D. (2017). Reframing ‘well-being’ in schools: the potential of recognition. Camb. J. Educ. 47, 439–455. doi: 10.1080/0305764X.2016.1192104
Graham, A., Powell, M. A., and Truscott, J. (2016). Facilitating student well-being: relationships do matter. Educ. Res. 58, 366–383. doi: 10.1080/00131881.2016.1228841
Hajovsky, D. B., Chesnut, S. R., and Jensen, K. M. (2020). The role of teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in the development of teacher-student relationships. J. Sch. Psychol. 82, 141–158. doi: 10.1016/j.jsp.2020.09.001
Harding, S., Morris, R., Gunnell, D., Ford, T., Hollingworth, W., Tilling, K., et al. (2019). Is teachers’ mental health and wellbeing associated with students’ mental health and wellbeing? J. Affect. Disord. 242, 180–187. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.08.080
He, F. X., Turnbull, B., Kirshbaum, M. N., Phillips, B., and Klainin-Yobas, P. (2018). Assessing stress, protective factors and psychological well-being among undergraduate nursing students. Nurse Educ. Today 68, 4–12. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2018.05.013
Henry, A., and Thorsen, C. (2018). Teacher–student relationships and L2 motivation. Modern Lang. J. 102, 218–241. doi: 10.1111/modl.12446
Holfve-Sabel, M. A. (2014). Learning, interaction and relationships as components of student well-being: differences between classes from student and teacher perspective. Soc. Ind. Res. 119, 1535–1555. doi: 10.1007/s11205-013-0557-7
Houser, M. L., and Hosek, A. M. (2018). Handbook of Instructional Communication: Rhetorical and Relational Perspectives. New York, NY: Routledge.
Hughes, J. N., Wu, J. Y., Kwok, O. M., Villarreal, V., and Johnson, A. Y. (2012). Indirect effects of child reports of teacher–student relationship on achievement. J. Educ. Psychol. 104, 350–365. doi: 10.1037/a0026339
Keyes, C. L., and Annas, J. (2009). Feeling good and functioning well: distinctive concepts in ancient philosophy and contemporary science. J. Posit. Psychol. 4, 197–201. doi: 10.1080/17439760902844228
Koca, F. (2016). Motivation to learn and teacher-student relationship. J. Int.Educ. Leadersh. 6, 1–20.
Kutsyuruba, B., Klinger, D. A., and Hussain, A. (2015). Relationships among school climate, school safety, and student achievement and well-being: a review of the literature. Rev. Educ. 3, 103–135. doi: 10.1002/rev3.3043
Lammers, W. J., and Byrd, A. A. (2019). Student gender and instructor gender as predictors of student–instructor rapport. Teach. Psychol. 46, 127–134. doi: 10.1177/0098628319834183
Lammers, W. J., and Gillaspy, J. A. Jr. (2013). Brief measure of student-instructor rapport predicts student success in online courses. Int. J. Scholarsh. Teach. Learn. 7, 1–13.
Lavy, S., and Naama-Ghanayim, E. (2020). Why care about caring? Linking teachers’ caring and sense of meaning at work with students’ self-esteem, well-being, and school engagement. Teach. Teach. Educ. 91:103046. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2020.103046
Lee, J. S. (2012). The effects of the teacher–student relationship and academic press on student engagement and academic performance. Int. J. Educ. Res. 53, 330–340. doi: 10.1016/j.ijer.2012.04.006
Littlecott, H. J., Moore, G. F., and Murphy, S. M. (2018). Student health and well-being in secondary schools: the role of school support staff alongside teaching staff. Pastoral Care in Educ. 36, 297–312. doi: 10.1080/02643944.2018.1528624
Long, R. F., Huebner, E. S., Wedell, D. H., and Hills, K. J. (2012). Measuring school-related subjective well-being in adolescents. Am. J. Orthopsych. 82, 50–60. doi: 10.1111/j.1939-0025.2011.01130.x
Lucas-Molina, B., Williamson, A. A., Pulido, R., and Pérez-Albéniz, A. (2015). Effects of teacher–student relationships on peer harassment: a multilevel study. Psychol. Sch. 52, 298–315. doi: 10.1002/pits.21822
Luo, Y., Deng, Y., and Zhang, H. (2020). The influences of parental emotional warmth on the association between perceived teacher–student relationships and academic stress among middle school students in China. Child. Youth Servic. Rev. 114:105014. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105014
Ma, L., Du, X., Hau, K. T., and Liu, J. (2018). The association between teacher-student relationship and academic achievement in Chinese EFL context: a serial multiple mediation model. Educ. Psychol. 38, 687–707. doi: 10.1080/01443410.2017.1412400
Martin, A. J., and Collie, R. J. (2019). Teacher–student relationships and students’ engagement in high school: does the number of negative and positive relationships with teachers matter? J. Educ. Psychol. 111, 861–876. doi: 10.1037/edu0000317
Mashford-Scott, A., Church, A., and Tayler, C. (2012). Seeking children’s perspectives on their wellbeing in early childhood settings. Int. J. Early Childh. 44, 231–247. doi: 10.1007/s13158-012-0069-7
Maulana, R., Opdenakker, M. C., and Bosker, R. (2014). Teacher–student interpersonal relationships do change and affect academic motivation: a multilevel growth curve modelling. Br. J. Educ. Psychol. 84, 459–482. doi: 10.1111/bjep.12031
Maybury, K. K. (2013). The influence of a positive psychology course on student well-being. Teach. Psychol. 40, 62–65. doi: 10.1177/0098628312465868
Mellgren, A. D. (2020). How Teacher-Student Rapport Impacts Student Academics and Achievement. Master Thesis. Saint Paul, MN: Bethel University.
Meng, Y. (2021). Fostering EFL/ESL students’ state motivation: the role of teacher-student rapport. Front. Psychol. 12:754797. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.754797
Miller, S., Connolly, P., and Maguire, L. K. (2013). Wellbeing, academic buoyancy and educational achievement in primary school students. Int. J. Educ. Res. 62, 239–248. doi: 10.1016/j.ijer.2013.05.004
Mottet, T. P., Frymier, A. B., and Beebe, S. A. (2006). “Theorizing about instructional communication,” in Handbook of Instructional Communication: Rhetorical and Relational Perspectives, eds T. P. Mottet, V. P. Richmond, and J. C. McCroskey (Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon), 255–282.
Nguyen, A. J., McDaniel, H., Braun, S. S., Chen, L., and Bradshaw, C. P. (2021). Contextualizing the association between school climate and student well-being: the moderating role of rurality. J. Sch. Health 91, 463–472. doi: 10.1111/josh.13026
Noble, R. N., Heath, N., Krause, A., and Rogers, M. (2021). Teacher-student relationships and high school drop-out: applying a working alliance framework. Can. J. Sch. Psychol. 36, 221–234. doi: 10.1177/0829573520972558
Opdenakker, M. C., Maulana, R., and den Brok, P. (2012). Teacher–student interpersonal relationships and academic motivation within one school year: developmental changes and linkage. Sch. Effect. Sch. Improv. 23, 95–119. doi: 10.1080/09243453.2011.619198
Pianta, R. C., Hamre, B. K., and Allen, J. P. (2012). “Teacher-student relationships and engagement: conceptualizing, measuring, and improving the capacity of classroom interactions,” in Handbook of Research on Student Engagement, eds S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly, and C. Wylie (Boston, MA: Springer), 365–386.
Powell, M. A., Graham, A., Fitzgerald, R., Thomas, N., and White, N. E. (2018). Wellbeing in schools: what do students tell us? Austr. Educ. Res. 45, 515–531. doi: 10.1007/s13384-018-0273-z
Quin, D. (2017). Longitudinal and contextual associations between teacher–student relationships and student engagement: a systematic review. Rev. Educ. Res. 87, 345–387. doi: 10.3102/0034654316669434
Renshaw, T. L., Long, A. C., and Cook, C. R. (2015). Assessing adolescents’ positive psychological functioning at school: development and validation of the student subjective wellbeing questionnaire. Sch. Psychol. Q. 30, 534–552. doi: 10.1037/spq0000088
Reyes, R. D. G. D., and Von Anthony, G. T. (2020). The relationship of expert teacher–learner rapport and learner autonomy in the CVIF dynamic learning program. Asia Pacific Educ. Res. 30, 471–481. doi: 10.1007/s40299-020-00532-y
Roorda, D. L., Jak, S., Zee, M., Oort, F. J., and Koomen, H. M. (2017). Affective teacher–student relationships and students’ engagement and achievement: a meta-analytic update and test of the mediating role of engagement. Sch. Psychol. Rev. 46, 239–261.
Roorda, D. L., Koomen, H. M. Y., Spilt, J. L., and Oort, F. J. (2011). The influence of affective teacher-student relationships on students’ school engagement and achievement: a meta-analytic approach. Rev. Educ. Res. 81, 493–529. doi: 10.3102/0034654311421793
Shochet, I., and Smith, C. (2012). “Enhancing school connectedness to prevent violence and promote well-being,” in Handbook of School Violence and School Safety: International Research and Practice, eds S. Jimerson, A. Nickerson, M. Mayer, and M. Furlong (New York, NY: Routledge), 475–486.
Stallman, H. M., Ohan, J. L., and Chiera, B. (2018). The role of social support, being present and self-kindness in university student well-being. Br. J. Guid. Counsel. 46, 365–374. doi: 10.1080/03069885.2017.1343458
Tian, L., Du, M., and Huebner, E. S. (2015). The effect of gratitude on elementary school students’ subjective well-being in schools: the mediating role of prosocial behavior. Soc. Ind. Res. 122, 887–904. doi: 10.1007/s11205-014-0712-9
Varga, M. (2017). The Effects of Teacher-Student Relationships on the Academic Engagement of Students. Master Thesis. Baltimore, MD: Goucher College.
Wang, Y., Derakhshan, A., and Zhang, L. J. (2021). Researching and practicing positive psychology in second/foreign language learning and teaching: the past, current status and future directions. Front. Psychol. 12:731721. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.731721
Wellington, A. M. (2021). Hope as a Mediator Between Professor-Student Rapport and Student Achievement. Doctoral Dissertation. Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University.
Wilson, J. H., and Ryan, R. G. (2013). Professor–student rapport scale: six items predict student outcomes. Teach. Psychol. 40, 130–133. doi: 10.1177/0098628312475033
Wilson, J. H., Ryan, R. G., and Pugh, J. L. (2010). Professor–student rapport scale predicts student outcomes. Teach. Psychol. 37, 246–251. doi: 10.1080/00986283.2010.510976
World Health Organization (2004). Promoting Mental Health. Concepts, Emerging Evidence, Practice. Geneva: WHO.
Wubbels, T., Brekelmans, M., and Mainhard, T. (2016). “Teacher–student relationships and student achievement,” in Handbook of Social Influences in School Contexts, eds K. Wentzel and G. Ramani (New York, NY: Routledge), 137–152.
Xie, F., and Derakhshan, A. (2021). A conceptual review of positive teacher interpersonal communication behaviors in the instructional context. Front. Psychol. 12:2623. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.708490
Yunus, M. M., Osman, W. S. W., and Ishak, N. M. (2011). Teacher-student relationship factor affecting motivation and academic achievement in ESL classroom. Proc. Soc. Behav. Sci. 15, 2637–2641. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.04.161
Keywords: teacher-student rapport, well-being, EFL students, academic success, harmonious relationship
Citation: Li S (2022) On the Role of Teacher-Student Rapport on English as a Foreign Language Students’ Well-Being. Front. Psychol. 12:822013. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.822013
Received: 25 November 2021; Accepted: 28 December 2021;
Published: 21 January 2022.
Edited by:
Ali Derakhshan, Golestan University, IranCopyright © 2022 Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Sa Li, 2246@pdsu.edu.cn