High quality of teacher–student relationships is widely recognized as fundamental part of good education. Moreover, students’ self-efficacy beliefs, or their confidence to succeed within different domains at school, are important impact factors to achievement. Although there is support for an association between student-perceived teacher–student relationship quality and students’ self-efficacy judgements, which mediates achievement, no tool explores this association. This article suggests that two instruments, respectively measuring students’ perceptions of teacher–student relationship quality (TSR) and student’s self-efficacy (SSE), can be used in parallel for a multifaceted exploration of individual students’ perception of TSR quality, in relationship to their self-efficacy. Two well-established instruments were adopted, validated and their factor structures re-confirmed in a Swedish sample, using data from students in five schools (n=382). Factor analysis showed that models with three underlying dimensions of TSR and four underlying dimensions of SSE were the most appropriate. All sub-scales showed good-to-excellent reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.75–0.94). Findings indicated a lack of multigroup invariance across gender and school level for the TSR-model. Substantial associations were found between student-perceived teacher support, and students’ self-efficacy for self-regulated learning and global academic success. We discuss utility and limitations, need of model improvement, and future potential.   

This 2-year longitudinal study compares students’ trajectories for perceived teacher–student relationship quality and students’ selfefficacy (together discussed as students’ school trust) to previously documented teacher-perceived experiences in teacher teams’ collective learning processes. The article’s main contribution is the reflection in students’ perceptions, of their teachers’ perceived quality and attainment in collective learning processes. Comparisons between schools show that trajectories for students belonging to the only teacher team that experienced a more mature and successful learning process in an earlier study, differed significantly from the trajectories for students in compared teams. Differences demonstrated large positive effect sizes (d=0.81–1.14). Individual analysis provides deeper insights about how these students’ perceptions changed. Additionally, the full sample data confirms earlier findings of substantial cross-associations between student-perceived teacher–student relationship quality and student self-efficacy. For example, sustainable associations between supportive teacher–student relationships and students’ global academic self-efficacy and self-efficacy for self-regulative learning were found (r = 0.43–0.51).

Methods other than averages from national tests, grades and levels of eligibility for higher education to evaluate the quality of education and school development are called for. In this dissertation is examined how a conscious effort to develop trustful relationships and mutual interaction among all actors in schools may contribute to increased well-being, community and strengthened learning processes for both students and teachers. ‘Relational school development’ is seen as particularly important for the large group of students who struggle hard in school every day to achieve the educational goals, and who are thus most dependent on a supportive environment to cope with learning. Trustful relationships and developed interaction and cooperation in schools are in the long run also assumed to have the potential to contribute positively to attainment. The overall aim of the thesis is to study the significance of relational aspects in school development.

In order to meet the thesis’ aim, a relational school development initiative grounded in school development research and theories of relational pedagogy was shaped, which was implemented in five schools during five school semesters. The relational processes that the initiative generated in the five schools respectively were longitudinally studied, out from specified research issues. Parallel qualitative and quantitative data were collected from school leaders, teachers and students. Thematic analysis was used to develop a deeper understanding of conditions for and experiences of relational school development processes. Statistical analyses were performed to infer from the longitudinal student data collected with the ‘Swedish TSR-SSE’-survey, which has been developed as a part of the studies.

The main results of the thesis reveal: i) organisational and relational preconditions at the system-, school- and teacher group level define which relational school development efforts can be carried out. Teachers need to feel trust in school development processes in order to become involved and be open with own challenges and to try out real changes in practice together with colleagues and students. As conceptualised here, ‘Teacher trust’ in relational school development encompasses three mutually interacting levels: collegial trust, collective trust in the teacher team and overall process trust in the school development process; ii) students’ perceptions of teacher-student relationship quality (TSR) and students’ self-efficacy within different domains of schooling (SSE) are confirmed as inter-correlated relational school factors and seem to be appropriate for use in longitudinal follow-up of teachers’ relational school development efforts; iii) collective relational competence of teachers may develop through an increased joint awareness of how both implicit and explicit aspects of communication affect the teacher-student relationship continuously, and iv) students whose teachers appreciated a more successful collective learning process reported improved quality in the teacher-student relationship, and also expressed a raised sense of self-efficacy regarding own opportunities to succeed in school.

Artikeln bidrar till fördjupad förståelse av lokala förutsättningar för skolutveckling genom kollektivt lärande i arbetslag. En longitudinell fallstudie genomfördes av skolutvecklingsprocesserna i fem arbetslag på olika skolor som deltog i ett identiskt, externt utformat, utvecklingsprojekt. Projektet innebar en handledd lärandeprocess där lärarna förväntades utveckla gemensam kunskap och kompetens genom kollektiv reflektion, baserad på synliggjord praktik i form av kollektivt planerade och genomförda elevinterventioner. Interventionerna bestod i kartläggning av skolsvårigheter, filmade samarbetsbaserade lärar-elevsamtal och uppföljningar av dessa, med anpassningar i undervisning och elevarbete. Utfallet av projektet, såsom skattat av lärarna efter två år, varierade stort mellan skolorna. Variationen i utfall, trots att arbetslagen deltagit på jämförbara premisser och med likvärdigt tillförda resurser, är artikelns utgångspunkt.

Intresset riktas mot lärarnas upplevelser i utvecklingsprocessen. Analysen bygger på kvalitativa processdata insamlade före, under och efter projektet. I tematisk analys urskildes tre aspekter av lärares upplevelser av tillit i skolutvecklingsprocessen som centrala; processtillit, kollegial tillit och kollektiv tillit. Övergripande processtillit och kollektiv tillit framstod som förutsättningar för arbetslagens uthållighet i utvecklingsarbetet. Kollegial tillit - tillitsfulla interpersonella relationer och professionellt förtroende lärarna emellan i arbetslaget - framstod som en särskild förutsättning för att lärares praktik skulle synliggöras, och att ett fördjupat kollektivt lärande därmed skulle kunna äga rum. Kollegial tillit och kollektiv tillit är begrepp som återfinns i organisationslitteraturen, medan processtillit är ett begrepp som artikeln förslår.

The article contributes to in-depth understanding of local conditions for school development, by means of collective learning in teacher teams. A longitudinal case study of school development processes in five teacher teams in different schools, who participated in an identical, externally designed, school development project, was conducted. The two-year project included a collective learning process with training, supervision and teacher-student interventions. The teachers were expected to develop collaboration, joint action and collective reflection, through the implementation and monitoring of collaborative teacher-student interventions. Teacher-student talks were intended to be videotaped, to make teachers’ practices visible to joint reflection and improvement. Although the five teacher teams participated in the project on comparable terms and with equal resources added, teachers in retrospect rated the project out-comes with great variety, on the different schools. This variation set the starting point for this article.

The interest of the investigation is directed towards the teachers’ experiences from the school development processes. Analyses are based on qualitative process data collected before, during and after the project. In thematic analyses, three aspects of trust were identified as crucial for the teachers’ experiences; process trust, collegial trust and collective trust. General confidence in the process (process trust) and high-enough psychological safety and collective confidence within the group (collective trust), showed to be prerequisites for endurance of the school development processes. Collegial trust – trustworthy interpersonal relationships and mutual professional confidence between the teachers in the group - showed to be an additional prerequisite for teachers’ visibility in practice, and thereby for a deepening in the collective learning process. Collegial trust and collective trust are concepts known in the organizational literature, while process trust is a concept suggested by this article.

High quality of teacher-student relationships is widely recognized as fundamental part of good education. Moreover, students' self-efficacy beliefs, or their confidence to succeed within different domains at school, are important impact factors to achievement. Although there is support for an association between student-perceived teacher-student relationship quality and students' self-efficacy judgements, which mediates achievement, no tool explores this association. This article suggests that two instruments, respectively measuring students' perceptions of teacher-student relationship quality (TSR) and student's self-efficacy (SSE), can be used in parallel for a multifaceted exploration of individual students’ perception of TSR quality, in relationship to their self-efficacy. Two well-established instruments were adopted, validated and their factor structures re-confirmed in a Swedish sample, using data collected from students in five schools (n=382). Factor analysis showed that models with three underlying dimensions of TSR and four underlying dimensions of SSE were the most appropriate, although not entirely satisfying. All sub-scales showed good-to-excellent reliability (Cronbach’s α=0.75-0.94). Findings indicated a lack of multigroup invariance across gender and school level for the TSR-model. Substantial associations were found between student-perceived teacher support, and students’ self-efficacy for self-regulated learning and global academic success. We discuss utility and limitations, need of model improvement, and future potential.