Student-Teacher Relations and Academic Achievement in High School

Adolescence is a period in an individual&s;s life in which a major transition is made from late childhood to adulthood. Many choices and decisions about school that can have critical effects on adolescents&s; educational and life chances are made by adolescents and their families (Elmen, 1991; Kramer, 1991; Lipsitz, 1981). For example, the decision to put forth little academic effort while in school, or conversely to work hard in school, can have a major impact on the kind of adult life an adolescent will lead. Researchers have found that for many adolescents, there is a gradual decline in various indicators of motivation, behavior, and self-perception that can lead to lower academic achievement and increased rates of school dropout (Eccles & Midgley, 1988).