Students' Adjustment at School: The Role of Teachers' Need Satisfaction, Teacher-Student Relationships and Student Well-Being

This study investigated how teachers' perceptions of their psychological need stisfaction, teacher-student relationships and students' perceptions of well-being relate to students' emotional and behavioral difficulties. One-hundred eighty-three elementary teachers with an average of 23 years of teaching experience, completed the Basic Need Satisfaction at Work Scale, the Student-Teacher Relationships Scale, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Seventy-five students aged 11 years old, completed the Subjective Well-Being measure and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. SEM analyses revealed that teachers' perceptions of need satisfaction and students' perceptions of well-being were not associated with students' emotional and behavioral difficulties. Rather, teacher-student relationships were robust predictors of these difficulties. Findings and implications for research and practice are discussed.