DEVLOPING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS DURING DISTANCE LEARNING

Developing Positive Teacher-Student Relationships In a Distance Learning
Classroom Environment

A Doctoral Capstone Project
Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies and Research
Department of Education

In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Education

Lynette R. Waller
California University of Pennsylvania
August 2021

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DEVLOPING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS DURING DISTANCE LEARNING

© Copyright by
Lynette Raynel Waller
All Rights Reserved
August 2021

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Dedication
This capstone is dedicated to my family, whose love and support carried me
through this journey. To my mother, Karen Fisher, for making so many sacrifices over
the years. Your love for our family is unending and felt in your words and actions. To my
sister, Lori-Tannise Reavis, for being the most encouraging sister and friend. Thank you
for always letting me be me. To my daughters, Cheyanne Waller and Kylee Waller, thank
you for your love, encouragement, and understanding as I worked through long nights
and weekends. At times, it felt like your belief in me was greater than my own. I hope I
make you proud. To my loving husband, Frederick Waller, who has supported me
through every step in this journey. I appreciate all that you have done and sacrificed to
help me to the finish line. Thank you for always providing space for me to accomplish
my goals. Whenever I was tired, discouraged, or frustrated, you always found a way to
lift me up and help me get back on track. Thank you for believing in me and being my
rock.

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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my capstone committee chairperson, Dr. Mary Wolf for
your guidance and encouragement throughout this journey. The support you provided
made the entire process manageable and achievable. Thank you to my external
committee member, Dr. Jayne Leh, for your insight, feedback, and encouragement.
Your supportive guidance pushed me beyond what I thought was possible. Thank you to
Dr. Shelby Cunningham, for your friendship and for providing a listening ear and
calming presence when I felt overwhelmed. Thank you to Dr. Janette Hewitt for being the
first person to believe in me. You mentored me through every aspect of school leadership
and always encouraged me to go further. Everything I know, I learned from watching
you.

DEVLOPING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS DURING DISTANCE LEARNING
Table of Contents
Dedication

iv

Acknowledgements

v

List of Tables

ix

Abstract

x

CHAPTER I. Introduction

1

Background

1

Capstone Focus

2

Research Questions

3

Expected Outcomes

4

Fiscal Implications

4

Summary

4

CHAPTER II. Literature Review

6

Belonging

7

Interpersonal Teacher-Student Relationships

9

The Need for Positive Teacher-Student Relationships

10

Influence on Elementary Students

13

Influence on Diverse Student Groups

14

Implications for Preservice Teachers

18

Cultural Responsiveness
Models of Cultural Responsiveness

21
23

Teacher-Student Relationships and Distance Learning

25

Distance Learning Strategies for Preservice Teachers

31

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Summary

35

CHAPTER III. Methodology

37

Purpose

39

Setting and Participants

40

Intervention and Research Plan

44

Fiscal Implications

45

Research Design, Methods and Data Collection

46

Validity

57

Summary

57

CHAPTER IV. Data Analysis and Results

59

Pre-Intervention Data Results

61

Pre-Intervention Interviews

62

Pre-Intervention Observations

68

Pre-Intervention Journal Reflections

71

Professional Learning

75

Post-Intervention Results

76

Post-Intervention Interviews

76

Post-Intervention Observations

81

Post-Intervention Journal Reflections

86

Perception Changes from Pre-Intervention to Post-Intervention

89

Discussion

92

Summary

92

CHAPTER V. Conclusions and Recommendations

94

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Conclusions

94

Research Question 1

94

Research Question 2

97

Research Questions 3

98

Application for Teacher Preparation Programs

101

Fiscal Implications

102

Limitations

102

Recommendations for Future Research

104

Summary

106

References

107

APPENDIX A. IRB Approval

129

APPENDIX B. Participant Informed Consent Form

130

APPENDIX C. Pre-Intervention Interview Questions

132

APPENDIX D. Post-Intervention Interview Questions

133

APPENDIX E. Observation Rubric

134

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List of Tables
Table 1. Intervention Strategies for Building Positive Teacher-Student Relationships 50
Table 2. Data Collection Timeline

55

Table 3. Participant Experience Interacting with Elementary Students

63

Table 4. Level of Confidence in Developing Positive Relationships with Students

66

Table 5. Pre-Intervention Level of Confidence During Distance Learning

67

Table 6. Pre-intervention Strategy Use

70

Table 7. Post-Intervention Level of Confidence During Distance Learning

81

Table 8. Strategy Use During Intervention

82

Table 9. Post Intervention Strategy Use

84

Table 10. Level of Confidence Change Before and After Intervention

90

Table 11. Strategy Use Before, During, and After Intervention

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Abstract
The purpose of this research study was to gain insight into the perceptions and the degree
to which preservice teachers implement relationship-building strategies to foster positive
teacher-student relationships within a distance learning environment. The research
focused on creating a supportive classroom environment to facilitate student success,
encourage a positive rapport and a sense of belonging, and develop the ability of
preservice teachers to engage students during distance learning. The participants in this
action research study were preservice teachers assigned to an urban elementary school
setting during their student teaching placement. The action research study implemented a
mixed-methods approach to gather data using interviews, observations, and journal
reflections. The intervention engaged the study participants as a community of learners to
identify strategies for building positive teacher-student relationships and to determine
how the strategies could be integrated into the distance learning classroom environment.
This research study provided compelling evidence to support the notion that focused
instruction on relationship-building strategies improves the confidence and ability of
preservice teachers to develop and maintain positive relationships within a distance
learning classroom environment.

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CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
Providing a supportive classroom environment is a critical factor for the
academic, social, and emotional development of students. A supportive classroom
environment emphasizes trust and acceptance to facilitate active engagement and
participation. This type of classroom has a caring teacher who places the relationship
with students as a priority by demonstrating warmth and genuine interest in the students’
well-being. When this is in place, a community of learners is established between the
teacher and students through authentic and trusting relationships, and students are
engaged in positive interactions with the teacher and one another. During the past year,
the need for positive classroom environments has increased due to the isolation
experienced by students during the COVID-19 pandemic and the abrupt transition to
remote learning. As a result, teachers must now develop positive relationships with
students in a distance learning environment, which requires more deliberate teacher
actions. As veteran teachers grapple with this new role, novice teachers are also being
challenged to learn and implement relationship-building strategies in this new
environment. Therefore, what steps should teacher preparation programs take to prepare
preservice teachers to create a supportive learning environment while teaching remotely?
Background
For the past twenty years, I have worked with and supervised teachers across
grade levels and in both urban and suburban school districts. One thing I have
consistently observed is the importance of the relationship and rapport between the
teacher and students. When students have a teacher who demonstrates care and concern

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and establishes a classroom environment that is supportive, they tend to have a positive
view of school and demonstrate academic, social, and emotional growth. For every
teacher who effectively establishes a positive and supportive classroom environment,
there are other teachers who struggle. So what can these differences be attributed to, is it
skill, knowledge, or innate ability? As an instructor and supervisor of preservice teachers
during their field placement and student teaching experience, I am interested in
researching how the skill of creating a supportive classroom environment develops with
preservice teachers, especially within the distance learning classroom setting.
Capstone Focus
Establishing and maintaining a supportive classroom environment requires a
concerted effort on the part of the teacher to create the classroom culture of care, support,
and interest in the growth and development of the students. This need for a supportive
classroom environment with positive teacher-student relationships has become even more
important as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on in-person instruction.
In addition to developing a supportive classroom culture, teachers have been tasked with
providing distance learning as the mode of instruction. This has created an additional
layer of complexity for novice teachers entering the profession.
Through my work with preservice teachers to establish positive teacher-student
relationships in the classroom, I have observed that many of them confuse being friendly
with having a positive teacher-student relationship. Because of this, I believe there needs
to be an increased emphasis on preparing preservice teachers with the skills necessary to
establish, develop, and maintain positive relationships for belonging and connectedness
within a distance learning classroom environment.

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The challenge for preservice teachers is having the ability and confidence to
create a classroom environment that promotes a sense of belonging and welcomes
diversity. The majority of preservice teachers are White, middle-class, and feel
uncomfortable teaching in urban communities with ethnically and culturally diverse
student populations (Martin & Williams-Dixon, 1994). This is especially true for
preservice teachers placed in an urban setting for the student teaching placement. The
cultural and demographic differences along with the urban school setting can impact the
preservice teachers’ confidence in their ability to develop positive relationships with the
students and to develop a supportive classroom culture. Without the ability and
confidence, the preservice teachers will likely struggle to develop a supportive classroom
environment and the academic, social, and emotional growth of the students may be
hindered greatly. Therefore, this action research will study how White preservice
elementary teachers develop and implement instructional practices that support positive
teacher-student relationships within a distance learning environment.
Research Questions
The purpose of this study is to inform the instructional programming for
preservice teachers by identifying the current utilization of relationship-building
strategies during remote learning to create a supportive classroom environment, the
indicators of emerging positive teacher and student relationships, and the impact remote
learning has on the development of positive classroom relationships. The following
research questions will be the focus of the study:
1. How do preservice teachers perceive the importance of relationship-building
strategies when delivering distance learning instruction?

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2. What do preservice teachers perceive as indicators of emerging positive teacher
and student relationships during distance learning?
3. In what ways does distance learning impact the development of positive
classroom relationships between the preservice teacher and students?
Expected Outcomes
Current research on belonging, relationship building, cultural responsiveness, and
distance learning in the K-12 setting needs to be examined. This body of research will be
used to guide both the research study and the development of the intervention plan that
will be implemented. This plan could be implemented in a teacher preparation course to
support the ability of preservice teachers to building positive relationships with students.
Fiscal Implications
The fiscal implications of this study include the revision of course content
incorporated into the instructional programming for preservice teachers and access to
technology and digital learning tools and applications. The revisions to the instructional
programming may include additional professional readings and increased opportunities
for field experiences for preservice teachers to observe and implement strategies in a
distance learning classroom environment.
Summary
With the goal of informing the instructional programming to train preservice on
relationship-building strategies that can be used to create a supportive distance learning
classroom environment, it was necessary to examine existing literature. The next chapter
provides a review of the literature focused on the need and importance of positive
teacher-student relationships, supporting all students through cultural responsiveness and

DEVLOPING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS DURING DISTANCE LEARNING
belonging efforts, and developing positive teacher-student relationships within the
distance learning environment.

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CHAPTER TWO
Literature Review
With classrooms becoming increasingly more diverse and with the abrupt
transition to distance learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, now more than
ever there is an urgent need for preservice teachers to be equipped with the knowledge of
effective practices for developing positive teacher-student relationships. The teacher’s
ability to establish positive relationships with students can have a long-term effect on
both student achievement and teacher satisfaction. The skills needed for building
relationships must also extend to the development of relationships between teachers and
students who are diverse, representing different ethnicities, cultures, and languages. The
need to understand and effectively develop these relationships has become even more
urgent with the majority of schools providing instruction in a distance learning setting,
during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has resulted in the need for preservice teaching
programs to make a concerted effort to lay the foundation of developing teachers who are
culturally responsive to students and understand the students’ need for belonging.
The aim of this literature review is to look at the inter-connectedness of the
teacher and student relationship, with an emphasis on understanding the importance of
developing positive relationships with diverse student groups, specifically at the
elementary level. The review then focuses on how to support the development of teacherstudent relationships through concepts of belonging and cultural responsiveness in the
classroom. This is followed by an analysis of the need for teacher-student relationships
within a distance learning environment and strategies for development. The application of

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strategies for building relationships, cultural responsiveness, belonging, and distance
learning are highlighted throughout.
Belonging
Teacher preparation programs must support the preservice teachers’
understanding that academic learning occurs when students feel like they belong and
are a part of the classroom community. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1943) equates
belonging to the human need for love and must be present with other basic needs in order
for a person to lead a happy and satisfying life (Maslow, 1943). When a person has a
sense of belonging, there is a mutual feeling of being a part of a group. The person feels
that another person, group, or community is not complete without them, and the person
feels incomplete without the other person, group, or community (Baskin et al., 2010).
Researchers have found that the need for belonging is a significant factor associated with
students having positive school-related experiences (Cemalcılar, 2010). The students’
feelings of belonging have a direct impact on other indicators of school success such as
the students’ academic motivation (Faircloth & Hamm, 2011), academic aspirations,
choices, persistence, and performance (Murphy & Zirkel, 2015), as well as academic,
social, and emotional outcomes (Appleton et al., 2006). The relationships between the
teacher and students, and among students and their peers, has a significant impact on the
students’ sense of belonging in the classroom (Meeuwisse et al., 2010). An effective way
to build, maintain and, reinforce student belonging is through the integration of
community-building activities within the classroom, with the weight of the responsibility
to affect a child’s sense of belonging falling on the teacher. There are a variety of
research study topics related to belonging using different terms and definitions such as

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“school connectedness” (Frydenberg et al., 2009; Loukas et al., 2006), “sense of
community” (Osterman, 2000), “school climate” (Anderson, 1982), “student
engagement” (Corso et al., 2013), and “school bonding” (Catalano et al., 2004).
The relationship and support received from the teacher has a direct effect on
student engagement beyond the support of parents and peers (Murray & Greenberg,
2000; Wentzel, 1998). Within the context of the school community, Wentzel (1999)
proposed that before students can feel a sense of belonging to the larger school
community, they must first develop an attachment with the teacher. The interactions
between students and their teacher and peers impacts their sense of belonging at school
and their social and emotional adjustment, engagement, academic motivation, and
learning (Corso et al., 2013; Wentzel, 1999). In addition to having the hierarchical need
for belonging being addressed when students have positive and supportive relationships
with their teachers and peers, these relationships also encourage students to participate in
classroom and school activities (Wentzel, 1999).
When teachers focus on building positive relationships with each of their students,
the learning environment and culture of the classroom communicates care and belonging
(Wentzel, 1999). Belonging occurs when there are mutually beneficial social
relationships between the teacher and the student, and between students and their peers
(Meloro, 2005). The focus is not limited to one relationship, but instead on multiple
lasting and positive interpersonal relationships with peers and other adults at the school
(Meloro, 2005). Loreman (2011) tells us that when students have positive relationships,
acceptance, and love for every other student in their classroom, the teacher has created a
‘loving pedagogy’ that sets the stage for significant teaching and learning to occur.

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Socially connected experiences within the classroom help students to internalize social
values, while also helping them to become committed to societal institutions, such as
schools (Deci & Ryan, 1985). Therefore, teaching preservice teachers how to facilitate a
sense of belonging in the classroom is critical. Opportunities and experiences exist at the
university level within the teacher preparation program to reinforce the importance of
belonging within the classroom. For example, discussing and reflecting on the meaning
of belonging amongst diverse groups, and how to facilitate it in children, observing
belonging in actual classrooms, practicing community-building strategies with children,
imitating strategies learned from instructors, and dialoguing with experienced teachers
and instructors can provide preservice teachers the skills needed to develop feelings of
belonging in the classroom. The ability of teacher preparation programs to incorporate
these principles of belonging across the program can also support preservice teachers in
their understanding of how to engage and teach diverse students effectively and
successfully.
Interpersonal Teacher-Student Relationships
There are a number of factors to consider when preparing preservice teachers for
classroom instruction, including the physical layout, the curriculum, the instructional
materials, and the mode of instruction. However, with all the factors that contribute to
effective instruction, the research identifies the classroom teacher as the most important
factor in student learning (Wright et al., 1997). Therefore, in order to provide highquality instruction for all students in a supportive classroom environment, the emphasis
for teacher preparation programs must focus on developing and preparing teachers with
knowledge regarding their role in establishing positive and supportive teacher-student

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relationships. Tosolt (2010) identified highly effective schools for students as schools that
offer a supportive environment with teachers that treat all students with respect and care.
When teachers demonstrate care toward students by communicating respect and interest,
demonstrating warmth and engagement, and responding with sensitivity, the individual
relationships with students improve along with the students’ sense of school belonging
(Giani & O’Guin, 2010; Ma, 2003). Marzano and Marzano (2003) identify relationships
as the building block for effective instruction. The teacher who does not establish these
relationships at the beginning of the school year can anticipate encountering negative
outcomes with regard to student behavior (Marzano & Marzano, 2003).
The social and emotional support the teacher provides for students creates
opportunities to cultivate engagement and motivation, which are essential to academic
development (Hamre & Pianta, 2005). According to the National Institute of Child Health
and Human Development Early Child Care Research Network (2002), “emotional
support encompasses the classroom warmth, positivity, child centeredness, and the
teacher’s sensitivity and responsiveness toward specific children” (p. 371). Several
theories also support the idea that strong and meaningful interactions with adults have a
positive effect on the development of the students’ emotional and social wellbeing
(Hamre & Pianta, 2005). Skinner et al. (1998) found that a positive classroom
environment and caring teachers can stimulate self-regulation among students, which
leads to increased academic gains.
The Need for Positive Teacher-Student Relationships
The teacher plays an important role in establishing the classroom climate
(Goddard et al., 2004) and children are affected by the classroom relationship with the

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teacher (Goodenow, 1993). In addition to the instructional role of the teacher, the
relationship between the teacher and the students is important because it also creates the
culture and climate of the classroom and lays the foundation for future academic success.
In fact, Trickett and Moos (1973) identified relationships as one of the top three variables
that influence classroom culture. Without stable and positive relationships, a child’s lack
of secure attachments can manifest in the classroom as a host of behavioral problems that
can hinder their academic and social growth (Jensen, 2010).
Many of the classroom behaviors labeled and punished as infractions of rules are
actually the result of problems with the interpersonal relationship between the teacher and
the students and how they relate to one another (Sheets, 1994). According to Hughes et
al. (2008), the teacher’s behavior can also have an impact on student behavior. The
teacher’s dispositions, coupled with classroom management skills, can result in an
increase in academic engagement and achievement and a decrease in problem behaviors
(Soodak, 2003; Soodak & McCharty, 2006), enabling the teacher to meet the needs of all
students more effectively.
Hamre and Pianta (2005) state, “research on the nature and quality of early
schooling experiences provides emerging evidence that classroom environments and
teacher behaviors are associated in a positive “value-added” sense with student
outcomes” (p. 952). It is the teachers who go beyond expectations to create an open and
trusting classroom environment, who are able to generate positive student exchanges and
enhance student engagement in learning (LaGuardia & Ryan, 2002). These teachers also
demonstrate nurturing teacher attributes, as they support the development of positive
teacher-student relationships (Martin & Dowson, 2009), resulting in a positive classroom

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environment with improved academic achievement and affective outcomes such as
motivation, self-concept, and academic engagement (Fraser &Walberg, 1991).
Emotionally supportive interactions have also been associated with a students’ positive
growth in reading and math skills (Pianta et al., 2003) as well as social competence
(Mashburn, et al., 2008).
Supportive teacher relationships, characterized by warmth and open
communication (Pianta, 1992), are associated with greater academic performance and
engagement (Hughes et al., 2008), and performance (McCartney, 2007). The supportive
relationships with the teacher provide a “secure base” (Ainsworth et al., 1978) that allows
children to explore and take risks in their learning, and develop social and cognitive skills
(Brock, et al., 2008). Therefore, when teachers establish a safe and positive learning
environment where students feel supported, student motivation increases, and
performance improves (Turner & Patrick, 2004).
The teacher also has the ability to shape the students’ thinking skills through
positive and purposeful interactions. Cazden (2001) suggests that the teacher-student
relationship is one of the most significant factors in the learning environment. The quality
of the teacher-student relationships in the classroom is a predictor of the students’
academic engagement (Furrer & Skinner, 2003) and motivation. Teacher-student
interactions can awaken a variety of developmental processes (Vygotsky, 1978) for
academic achievement. When teachers develop a supportive classroom community,
students are imparted with a sense of belonging, their social anxieties and frustrations are
alleviated, and students are more motivated to comply with the teacher’s requests and act
appropriately with their peers (Elias & Schwab, 2006). Theories of motivation suggest

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that students are more likely to engage in learning when teachers are thoughtful,
approachable, and sensitive (Hamre & Pianta, 2005). Having a caring relationship with
an adult is also a protective factor associated with resilience and the development of prosocial competencies that promote learning (Masten, 1994). As a result, a positive
teacher-student relationship has a high correlation to student achievement (Niebuhr &
Niebuhr, 1999) and plays a critical role in the development of school readiness skills
(Pianta et al., 2008), which students need throughout their school career. Additional
research findings also support the premise that social and emotional support from
teachers may be equally impactful to the academic development of students, as is the use
of specific instructional techniques (Hamre & Pianta, 2005).
The Teacher-Student Relationship Influence on Elementary Students
Establishing positive teacher-student relationships is especially important for
beginning learners. Several studies suggest that, at school entry, the quality of the
relationship students establish with the kindergarten teacher, and the kindergarten
teacher’s capacity to create an emotionally supportive classroom community, are the two
major determinants of the students’ classroom success and their subsequent school
adjustment (Downer et al., 2008). Researchers have also found a link between the
closeness of the student-teacher relationship in kindergarten and school adjustment,
learning engagement (Hamre & Pianta, 2001), and emotion regulation skills (O’Connor
et al., 2011). When children experience feelings of support from their teacher, they are
more likely to perceive themselves as competent and motivated, which increases their
learning efforts and performance (Osterman, 2000; Wentzel, 2002). Children in
classrooms with a high level of emotional support, are also more likely to demonstrate

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attentive, on-task, and engaged learning behaviors when compared to children in less
emotionally supportive classrooms (Pianta et al., 2002). The results of longitudinal
studies suggest sustained benefits for children who experience close relationships with
their kindergarten teachers, including an increase in prosocial engagement and lower
rates of aggressive behaviors in first grade (Pianta & Stuhlman, 2004), and improved
learning engagement that extends through fourth grade (Hamre & Pianta, 2001). For
these reasons, it’s important for teachers to model the behaviors that cultivate a positive
classroom environment, and remember that students look to them for the social cues for
behavior (Tomey-Purta et al., 2001). When children have positive teacher-student
relationships at a young age, they learn the skills, attitudes, and beliefs necessary for
academic achievement. Therefore, the emphasis on developing a positive teacher-student
relationship should start at the elementary level, as soon as students begin school.
The Teacher-Student Relationship Influence on Diverse Student Groups
Gaining attention, is the importance of establishing caring teacher-student
relationships and instructional approaches for relationship-building for students deemed
to be at risk (Baker et al., 1997; Noddings, 1992; Pianta & Walsh, 1996). The need for
positive teacher-student relationships is also important when teachers engage with diverse
student groups. We know that the students’ perceptions of interpersonal
connectedness to teachers at school and "belonging" to the school culture have an
impact on their academic engagement and psychological well-being (Goodenow &
Grady, 1992; Wentzel, 1994). The quality of the student-teacher relationship and the
emotional support within the classroom are particularly important for socio-economically
disadvantaged children (Hughes et al., 2008; Pianta et al., 2002; Silver, Measelle et al.,

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2005), due to the emotional and social instability they may be experiencing in the
community or home environment. That is why the key goal of early childhood programs
for low-income families, such as Head Start, is to offer high-quality support and
enrichment as a counter-response to the effects associated with poverty (Administration
for Children and Families, 2010).
In addition to academic problems and school failure, students who are at-risk
have reported feelings of alienation and a disconnection from the school culture
(Fine, 1986). According to Mau (1992), the perspective of being alienated or
disconnected is caused by the student’s feelings of powerlessness, meaninglessness,
normlessness, and social estrangement. Powerlessness occurs when there is a lack of
control or ability to change a situation. Students may experience meaninglessness
towards the content if it does not reflect their lived experience. This occurs when schools
present Whiteness as the normative culture for standards of behavior, language, and the
curriculum. Students who resist the cultural norms or expectations within the school
develop feelings of normlessness. Students may also experience social estrangement
when they are separated from their peers for academic remediation, language instruction,
or for their behavior. Over time this social estrangement can lead to an emotional or
physical disconnection from the school environment. Therefore, it is important for
teachers to demonstrate an interest in students as individuals. Empirical studies regarding
the teacher-student relationship have reflected on how teacher behaviors such as paying
attention, listening, and responding to students, and treating students as individuals, are
reflected back from the students as engagement and motivation to learn (Larson, 2006;
Schussler & Collins, 2006).

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In relation to the increasing achievement gap between students from different
socioeconomic or ethnic backgrounds, educational researchers have examined contextual
factors that affect student performance, achievement, and social behaviors (Booker, 2004;
Eisele & Thomson, 2009). One factor for minority students, who may have a heightened
sensitivity to impersonal school relationships due to a negative experience with a teacher
from the majority group, is school belonging. When educators or students represent
different ethnic or socioeconomic groups, establishing positive teacher-student
relationships can communicate to students that they are valuable, capable, and worthy of
being heard (Giani & O’Guin, 2010; Hughes & Kwok, 2007). Research also points to
increased achievement for at-risk students when high expectations are coupled with a
supportive classroom environment (Bernard, 1991; Stockard & Mayberry, 1992; Wang
et al., 1994).
When teachers demonstrate an awareness of their students’ culture and home
lives, the students feel more connected to the teacher (Curwin et al., 2018). For many
of these students, the connection between the culture of the home and the culture of the
school can be further developed through positive relationships between the teacher and
students (Wang et al., 1994). This occurs when teachers take the time to get to know
the students, their families, their home and community experiences, and their culture.
This helps to communicate a genuine interest in the students and serves as a building
block for relationship-building between the teacher and student. Once the
relationship is established, it also creates a pathway where the teacher can address the
instructional and emotional needs of the students and close the achievement gap between

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students who thrive in school and those who struggle both academically and behaviorally
(Hamre & Pianta, 2005).
Baker (1999) examined teacher-student interactions and relationships among
poor, urban, African-American students expressing high and low satisfaction with school
(p.65). This study found that at-risk students felt alienated from school in addition to their
struggles with academic achievement. For these students, the social context of the
classroom had an impact on how they described their school experience with regard to
being a likable and satisfying environment. Baker (1999) found that the students who
liked school and those who disliked school had experienced different social interactions
and connectedness at the school. Students who cited more support from teachers had
highly satisfying school experiences as compared to the students who expressed less
support from their teachers (Baker, 1999). In this study, a caring, psychologically safe
classroom environment was a predictor of the student’s satisfaction within the school.
The majority of the students expressed an “expanded role” by the teacher (Noddings,
1992), such as sharing emotional support and talking with them about personal problems,
as the means by which their teachers “cared” for them (Baker, 1999), which fostered a
sense of belonging and acceptance. However, impoverished relationships between
teachers and students were most common in schools where students lacked personal
support from teachers and spent less time interacting with them (Waxman et al.,
1997), which further demonstrates the need for enhanced teacher-student
relationships in urban schools with at-risk students.
The need to train teachers to effectively nurture and support positive relationships
with students should begin during the teacher preparation program. However, these

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programs may be physically isolated from communities with at-risk students. This
isolation can lead to a lack of exposure, experience, and connectedness with the
communities where these students are located. Without preservice teachers having
experiences with at-risk students during their teacher preparation program, there could be
an even greater disconnectedness between the students and the preservice teachers.
Therefore, in addition to developing content knowledge, teacher preparation
programs should support the preservice teachers’ understanding of race, culture, poverty.
Many teacher education programs focus almost exclusively on technical skill-building for
lesson planning, instructional methods, and behavioral management (Bartolomé, 2002;
Gorski, 2012; Rodríguez, 2013). In doing so, they fail to adequately address significant
gaps between the skills, knowledge, and experiences that White and middle-class
teachers need during the teacher preparation program in order to learn how to effectively
relate to and teach diverse student populations and to develop positive relationships with
diverse and low-income students. Research also shows that most new teachers in diverse
school settings, do not live in the communities in which they teach; this impacts their
ability to be viewed as role models because their engagement and exposure to the local
community may be limited to the scheduled school day (Zeichner & Gore, 1990).
Whereas in a less diverse school setting, the white, middle-class teacher is able to start
teaching in a school with familiar culture and leads instruction with students with familiar
culture and experiences very few cultural conflicts (Cochran-Smith, 1997).
Implications for Preservice Teachers
For preservice teachers who plan to work with diverse student populations, there
is an added responsibility of understanding the culture of the students, as they work to

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develop positive relationships. Therefore, the responsibility for preparing preservice
teachers to develop positive teacher-student relationships must start during the
teacher preparation program. Teacher preparation programs tend to emphasize
competencies related to effective instructional methodology including lesson
planning, the delivery of instruction, assessment measures, and remediation.
However, an additional competency for relationship-building is also necessary.
Limited research attention has been given to the development of caring relationships in
the context of teaching and learning. Accordingly, preservice teachers tend to view caring
as a personal trait and natural instinct without an understanding of the teacher’s
obligation and responsibility for developing caring relationships with students (Goldstein
& Lake, 2000; McLaughlin, 1991). Goldstein and Freedman (2003) suggest that the
preservice teachers’ understanding of teacher caring is highly correlated to their
relationships with the teacher educators in their preparation program and their mentor
teacher. Given that, preservice teachers may project the relationships they build with their
teacher educators and mentor teachers on to their relationships with their own students.
Examining the development of teacher-students relationships during the preparation
training may indicate how preservice teachers will demonstrate caring in their future
classroom. Ideally, the emphasis on developing positive teacher-student relationships
should be infused into coursework, field placements, and supervisory experiences.
According to Milner (2006), many teacher preparation courses lack adequate
opportunities for preservice teachers to engage in meaningful conversations about race,
culture, and socioeconomic status. These conversations enable preservice teachers to
reflect on their own beliefs about different cultural frameworks and their own

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socialization with other groups (Bryant et al., 2015). Their beliefs impact their role as a
teacher in how they respond to student language, tone, gestures, and demeanor. For these
reasons, teacher education programs are also charged with supporting preservice teachers
in developing the competencies needed to effectively teach low-income and at-risk
children, which can be a difficult task (Brown et al., 2012; Gorski, 2012; Paulson &
Marchant, 2012; Raible & Irizarry, 2010). This is most evident when examining the role
of culture in teaching, with regard to establishing connections between the students and
teacher. One way to increase the academic performance of students who are racially,
culturally, and economically diverse is to provide preservice teachers with training to
develop the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions that are needed to teach in a
diverse school setting (Milner, 2006).
When teachers are familiar or experienced in recognizing the lived realities of
their students, they are able to develop a learning environment that is grounded in
meaning and significance for students. Limited teacher interactions, missed
communications, and misunderstandings due to limited cultural synchronization or
interpersonal context, can cause negative teaching experiences for preservice teachers
(Irvine, 1992). Hilliard (1995), Kunjufu (2002), Delpit (2006), Nieto (1999), LadsonBillings (1994), Tatum (2007), and many other educators support the notion that teachers
need to have a strong understanding of culture when teaching, especially when teaching
diverse learners. This is critically important for the success of the teacher in reaching and
engaging all students. When the teachers take the time to learn about the students’ family,
home life, culture, language, and values, they are better equipped to support students in
the classroom and gain support from the family.

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According to Ladson-Billings (1994), “it is respectful for teachers to acknowledge
students’ experiences outside the classroom and use these experiences to promote
relationships with students and their families. Effective teaching involves in-depth
knowledge of both the students and the subject matter” (p. 125). By doing so, the teacher
is able to form a stronger connection with the student and positively affect their academic
growth and overall well-being in the classroom.
However, the relationship between the teacher and students will be limited if
teachers are not talking to students and inquiring about their life outside of school. If the
teacher does not recognize the students’ skills outside the classroom, they are more likely
to have difficulty engaging and motivating the students in classroom learning (Delpit,
2006). When teachers aren’t able to see the strengths of students who are culturally
different, they inadvertently teach down to them (Delpit, 2006, p. 173). “When teachers
do not understand the potential of the students they teach, they will under teach them, no
matter what the methodology” (p. 175). This can result in students not being taught
curricular content in depth and student boredom and lack of interest in school. Therefore,
preservice teachers need to view their work within the cultural context of their students
and understand the integral relationship between culture and social behavior (DuncanAndrade, 2005).
Cultural Responsiveness
Culturally responsive teachers should possess the knowledge and skills necessary
to create inclusive classroom environments that supports the full engagement and
participation of all learners. Without culturally responsive teachers, children of diversity

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may experience difficulty due to language barriers, educational gaps, and low teacher
expectations (Avery & Walker, 1993).
However, when teachers are aware of the experiences of their students and their
culture, the teacher can take steps to actively improve the quality of teacher-student
relationships and the learning process for their diverse students. By incorporating
culturally responsive instructional strategies the participation of diverse students
increases, their performance and achievement improves (Byrd, 2016), and they
experience academic success (Williams, 1971).
Phuntsog (1999) asserts that when a culturally responsive pedagogical approach is
implemented, a safe classroom environment with respect for all learners is established.
Barriers to teacher success in urban schools have been correlated to teachers who lack
cultural competencies, display low expectations and lack of caring for students, and
racial/ethnic, linguistic, and class biases (Bollin, 2007; Brown & Rodríguez, 2009;
Howard & Milner, 2014; Rodríguez, 2012; Williams, 2013). When teachers acquire
knowledge about cultural differences and diversity, and they take steps to make their
instruction more culturally responsive, they are able to address cultural diversity in the
classroom (Ladson-Billings, 1994). Teachers who are culturally responsive also have a
much better understanding of teaching (Ladson-Billings, 1994). The efficiency of the
learning-teaching process is dependent on the knowledge, skill, and proficiency levels of
the teacher. According to Gay (2002), there are specific culturally responsive
competencies that should be expected of teachers including, being aware of their cultural
identity and prejudices, the ability and willingness to learn the world views of groups that
are different from their own culture, and the development of culturally responsive

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teaching methods. Therefore, within the broad expectation of ‘education for all,’
education should be presented in an inclusive manner that emphasizes the cultural
differences of students (Karatas & Oral, 2016).
When middle-class White teachers are placed in urban schools with students who
are predominantly of color, significant cultural and language differences between the
students and the teacher often result in feelings of uneasiness by the teacher (Cushner et
al., 1996). Cultural and ethnic differences can impact a variety of factors including the
interactions between the student and the teacher, the behavioral expectations, the way
content is presented, the emphasis on the importance of the content, classroom climate,
and the willingness of the students to engage with the content. The literature suggests that
the combination of diverse students in Eurocentric schools, results in a conflict of
cultures (Ladson-Billings, 1995), due to the different cultural norms between the teacher
and the students for standards of behavior, language, and interactions. Therefore, in order
for middle-class White teachers to be effective in culturally diverse educational settings,
they must be culturally responsive and possess the cultural intelligence and instructional
flexibility necessary to adapt and effectively instruct diverse students.
Models of Cultural Responsiveness
Three facets of cultural intelligence were introduced by Earley and Ang (2003).
Their framework consists of three factors, cognition, motivation, and behavior. The
model was later extended by Ang and Dyne (2008) to incorporate four factors that, when
used together, lead to effectiveness in ones’ ability to adapt to different cultures. These
factors include metacognition, cognition, motivation, behavior, and customs, enabling us
to understand a given situation. In order to begin the process of understanding and

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bridging these differences, researchers believe that teachers should be engaged in critical
conversations about their own cultural identities and the cultural identities and
perceptions of the racially diverse students that they teach (Haberman, 2004). The ability
of middle-class majority culture teachers to appreciate and understand the cultural capital
of minority cultures within the urban school setting could increase the success rate of
minority students in school.
Students in diverse communities possess different learning styles and preferences
that stem from various experiences influenced by their cultural backgrounds. These
learning styles may be in disharmony with the dominant values and beliefs of the
classroom teacher, which is reflected in the teacher’s pedagogical approach to instruction
in the classroom (Berry, 2001; Ladson-Billings, 1995; Nieto, 2000). The social structures,
practices, and beliefs that reinforce racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic privilege lead to
stratification and isolation, causing knowledge deficits for teachers and creating barriers
in the development of valuable cultural, social, and linguistic capital in the classroom
(Orfield & Lee, 2005; Ryabov & Van Hook, 2007). These gaps in knowledge and
experience may inhibit many white and middle-class preservice teachers from engaging
in critical examinations of schooling to address the needs of low-income children of
color. As a result, white preservice teachers may lack the critical cultural knowledge
needed to connect personally with students of diverse backgrounds.
In order for White preservice elementary school teachers to have an awareness
and understanding of the impact of cultural differences on achievement, teacher
preparation programs must provide them with experiences to develop their knowledge,
skills, and positive attitude towards culturally responsive pedagogy. When integrating

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culturally responsive teaching into the instruction, the classroom teacher’s focus should
be on building trust, having cultural literacy, knowing a variety of teaching methods and
techniques, using effective inquiry techniques, providing effective feedback, analyzing
teaching materials, and establishing a positive home-school relationship (Jackson, 1994).
Preservice teachers should be trained to consider the cultural background and experiences
of their students when engaging in the planning process. This can be accomplished by
having preservice teachers design learning experiences that explore issues related to
social, cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity (Darling-Hammond et al., 2002). Brown
(2007) emphasizes that teachers should identify classroom practices that align the cultural
background and experiences of their students to a framework of respect for pluralistic
understandings and differences. This can be accomplished by learning about the cultural
background of the students, being aware of stereotypes and prejudices, understanding the
social, emotional, and political status of students, and developing classroom management
skills that are culturally responsive (Jackson, 1994).
Teacher-Student Relationships and Distance Learning
With the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have had to transition to online distance
learning with limited teacher preparation and training. When learning remotely, the
dynamic relationship between the teacher and students becomes even more important.
For distance learning, social presence and acceptance are significant factors for
consideration (Mclsaac & Blocher, 1998) and should be a component of the distance
learning design process. The psychological distance between the student and the teacher
may cause feelings of isolation for the student, which could hinder the rapport and
relationship development (Wolcott, 1996). Wolcott (1996) states that it is this rapport that

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enables the teacher-student relationship to develop and the learning discourse to occur.
Distance learning is less effective if it lacks consideration for the human dimension
(Spitzer, 1998). Spitzer (1998) states that the social interactions between the teacher and
students determine the success or failure of the distance learning program. Moore (1996)
describes purposeful instructional dialog as a necessity when facilitating interactions
between the teacher and students. In a purposeful dialog environment, students are active
participants who communicate by listening and building on the contributions of other
learners. Therefore, collaborative learning opportunities should be intentionally applied
to enhance the distance learning environment. According to Saba and Shearer (1994), as
dialog and learner control increase, transactional distance decreases. Traditional
classroom management strategies typically utilized for face-to-face instruction can be
effectively incorporated into the distance learning environment to support virtual
relationship-building with students. When online instructors build relationships in a
distance learning environment, student engagement, satisfaction, and retention increase
(Marzano & Marzano, 2003), while the instructor is also enhancing the efficiency of their
online instructional practices.
While quality teaching in traditional classrooms can translate to quality online
teaching (Garrison & Anderson, 2003; Journell et al., 2013), there are additional
competencies that are needed in order to meet the learning needs of the students when
instruction is provided in a setting where the teacher and learners are separated by time
and distance (Learn NC, 2008; National Education Association, 2006; Palloff & Pratt,
2011; Redmond, 2011). Courses instructing teachers on how to conduct online instruction
are seldom offered during teacher preparation programs, and as a result, many new

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teachers are entering the field without having experience as online learners or knowledge
of how to provide online instruction (Barbour et al., 2013; Kennedy & Archambault,
2012; Kennedy et al., 2013). In this regard, teacher preparation programs are failing to
adequately prepare educators for online instruction (Barbour et al., 2013; Journell et al.,
2013; NEA, 2006), and tens of thousands of “new teachers who enter the profession each
year begin without online teaching skills in their professional repertoire” (NEA, 2006 p.
3). Teacher preparation programs should consider providing some component of online
learning for preservice teachers. Online learning programs can be successful when they
prepare teachers by providing opportunities to develop a community of learners through
professional development and offer ongoing support and monitoring to ensure that
teachers meet high expectations (Roblyer, 2006) for student engagement and instruction.
Teachers and students may feel that being physically disconnected and lacking a
visual reference with their students creates a barrier to cultivating relationships. Mayes et
al. (2011) argued that the separation in time and place make interactions between teachers
and students critically important in an online environment. When the teacher and the
students are physically separated, the psychological distance can have a negative
consequence on communication and learning. In-person conversation and instruction help
to convey messages both verbally and non-verbally. The teacher’s facial expressions,
gestures, and tone help to add context and meaning to what is being said to children.
Within a distance learning environment, some of these non-verbal behavior cues to
communicate meaning are no longer available to our students. We know that without
these non-verbal cues, creating a sense of community online can be more challenging (Ke
& Hoadley, 2009). When students have limited opportunities to interact with the teacher

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and their peers online, feelings of isolation may have a negative effect on the student’s
sense of community (Koslow & Pina, 2015).
With the knowledge of the academic and social benefits provided to students
during in-person instructioon, teachers must work to create a sense of community during
distance learning (Lai, 2015; Lovitts, 2001; Rovai, 2003). In order to be effective,
distance learning instructors must proactively address the sense of isolation that often
occurs in an online learning environment by being intentional about promoting a positive
and interactive social presence (Mayes et al., 2011) for students.
The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) Standards for
Quality Online Teaching states that effective online instructors build community among
course participants within a student-centered environment (iNACOL, 2011), which is
outlined using a Community of Inquiry Framework. The Community of Inquiry (CoI)
framework (Garrison et al., 2010) provides a useful explanation as to how a community
can be established within online classrooms. There are three interdependent components
of community building through the CoI framework: social presence, teaching presence,
and cognitive presence. Social presence is the ability of participants to establish
themselves as real in a virtual environment (Garrison et al., 2010). Teachers can assist
students in cultivating their social presence by encouraging them to have an authentic
presence in the virtual classroom. This is accomplished when teachers allow students to
share elements of their life with the teacher and their peers (Garrison, 2011). Cognitive
presence refers to the teacher’s ability to facilitate instructional experiences that are
reflexive and provoke dialogue, by creating a learning environment where students can
question, critique, and reflect with their peers (Garrison et al., 2010). Classrooms with a

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strong cognitive presence enable students to attain shared academic goals by working in a
collaborative environment. Teachers who integrate the Community of Inquiry framework
within their instruction integrate the teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive
presence within their online classrooms, which helps to facilitate a sense of trust,
belonging, and self-disclosure for the students (Garrison et al., 2010). Over time, these
feelings create a learning community in the distance learning classrooms (Garrison et al.,
2010).
Unfortunately, many teachers who provide online instruction report receiving
little to no support or instruction on how to design a distance learning classroom
environment (Hawkins et al., 2012). The literature on K-12 online learning indicates the
majority of the investigations were related to interactions between the learner and the
instructor, such as active learning strategies and providing feedback to students
(Cavanaugh et al., 2009). Teachers also need to be taught how to develop and support
positive interactions with and between students while engaging in distance learning. As
the primary point of contact for students within a distance learning program, the teacher
plays an important role in cultivating a sense of community with the class (Garrison,
2011). The teacher should utilize the curriculum and all instructional opportunities to
facilitate peer interactions by incorporating instructional activities that require
collaboration, interaction, and reflection (Garrison et al., 2010). In addition, the teacher’s
facilitation skills and style should also support the creation of the classroom community
(Demmans et al., 2017). In fact, Phirangee et al. (2016) found that when teachers actively
facilitated online discussions, students felt more connected with the class.

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A community can also be built through the coursework (Garrison, 2011), such as
assignments that require students to share knowledge with their peers (Waycott et al.,
2013). Barak and Rafeli (2004) found that blogs, wikis, and discussion/message boards
increased collaboration and peer support in online classes. Teaching activities that
encouraged deep reflection (Shea et al., 2006) and small group discussions where
students could think critically and share meaningful insights increased student
engagement in the learning community (Martin & Bolliger, 2018). By creating these
kinds of opportunities for students to learn with and from one another, instructors can
cultivate a strong teaching presence that supports the development of the students’ social
and cognitive presence (Garrison, 2011) in the distance learning environment.
The structure of the distance learning environment is an equally important factor
to consider. The selection of instructional strategies such as analysis, synthesis, and
evaluation to support the facilitation of learner interactions is critical for student success
(Weston & Cranton, 1986). However, programs that do not allow teachers the
opportunity to integrate the students’ contributions, interactions, and discussions, will
have a detrimental effect on the overall learning outcomes desired (Moore, 1996; Parker,
1999). A variety of learner-instructor, learner-learner, and learner-content interactions
should be integrated into the instruction (Moore, 1992; Wagner, 1997). In addition,
learner-to-interface interactions should also be utilized within the distance learning
program (Hillman et al., 1994). The numerous forms of social interactions possible
within the distance learning environment should be considered as a part of the
instructional design process for the class.

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When considering all of these factors, the teacher has to determine where to start
when designing instruction. Context plays a critical role in the instructional design and
should be addressed when identifying the specific types of interactions and
methodologies (Tessmer & Richey, 1997) to incorporate. Wagner (1997) recommends
that the teacher should start by determining the desired instructional outcomes, analyzing
the type of learning that is desired (verbal or intellectual skills, psychomotor skills, or
attitude changes), and then select the type of interaction that will facilitate the desired
learning. For example, dynamic role-playing, debate, detailed case studies, authentic
problem-solving, panel discussions, group presentations, peer teaching, and creative
individual and group projects all provide opportunities for the different types of
interactions possible (Wagner, 1997).
Distance Learning Strategies for Preservice Teachers
Although K-12 distance learning has grown exponentially, currently the research
is limited in regard to best practices for K-12 distance learning and preparation training
for teachers (Barbour, 2016; Ferdig et al., 2009). This absence of research specific to K12 distance learning has created a gap in the training for effective pedagogy for
preservice teachers (Barbour, 2016; Ferdig et al., 2009). With the shift to distance
learning, there is an urgent need for additional research into effective practices for online
instruction in K-12 settings. Despite limited research in this area, we do know that the
effectiveness of K-12 distance education has less to do with the medium, technology, and
resources used, and more to do with the teacher, the students, and the teaching and
learning strategies implemented (Bernard et al., 2004; Journell et al., 2013; Rice, 2006).

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Teachers need to be able to identify effective practices for engaging students and
building productive teacher-student relationships within a digital learning environment.
Like in-person instruction, a strong teacher presence is essential, along with instructional
activities that build upon the strengths of students, invite participation, and present
content in various modalities as frequently as possible (Wilson, 2014). Many of the
instructional strategies utilized in a traditional in-person classroom can also be adapted
for a distance learning model to increase student engagement and build relationships with
students.
While there are differences between in-person and distance learning, many of the
strategies for relationship-building are interchangeable between both approaches to
instruction. Underdown and Martin (2016), studied how meaningful relationships can be
developed through a computer screen rather than through in-person instruction. They
found that online instructors must work to establish these same relationships when there
is a virtual gap separating the teacher and student. The distance learning model also
offers many advantages over in-person instruction due to the access and use of
technology. Technology can be used to build teacher-student and peer relationships and
engage students quickly and effectively. In addition, there are numerous technology tools
available to help teachers with bridging the virtual gap and connecting with students.
Screen recorders, such as Screencast-O-Matic (screencast-o-matic.com) and
videoconferencing software such as Loom (www.useloom.com) and Zoom (www.
zoom.us) are tools used to facilitate important personal connections.
In order to maintain wellness and meaningful learning, students need to be able to
connect with others and the world around them. When we build networks of diverse

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connections, learning occurs (Siemens, 2005) through social contexts (Vygotsky, 1978),
and students feel a part of a community and have opportunities to share (Hittie, 2000).
When these opportunities are provided to them in a simple, yet engaging way online, the
students are able to continue to build important relationships virtually. Synchronous
virtual classrooms that include technical features such as chat rooms, text
communication, and breakout rooms for small group discussion, help students and
teachers make connections in the distance learning classroom (McDaniels et al., 2016).
Leblanc and Lindgren (2013) also found that courses with synchronous video helped
students to communicate easily.
Building meaningful relationships with students in a distance learning
environment may be a challenge for many teachers, but these relationships lead to
increased engagement and improved overall satisfaction of the students (Martin, 2017).
One strategy for building relationships with students is showing an interest in their life
(Martin, 2017; Marzano & Marzano, 2003). Teachers can show an interest in students by
asking questions and providing opportunities for students to share within the distance
learning environment. Asking questions of the students is an effective strategy to quickly
build relationships and community (Ahmad et al., 2017). Asking students noninvasive
questions and providing time for students to share their interests is a simple and effective
way to quickly establish a collaborative tone for any classroom (Ahmad et al., 2017). In
fact, it is natural for students to have the desire to share about themselves and feel they
are a part of a community (Hittie, 2000). That is why asking questions is a simple, yet
effective, way to have students build relationships in a distance learning environment.
Synchronous video calls such as Zoom and Google Classroom are also effective tools for

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providing online instruction where students can engage with the teacher, other students,
and the content in real-time. Through these tools, the instructor is continually building
stronger relationships with students, and the students can experience connectedness and
engagement within the distance learning community.
One option for teacher preparation programs is the formation of electronic
learning communities (eLCs) to provide preservice teachers with a common language for
communicating about teaching and learning (Chen et al., 2009). An eLC is an online
community where teachers are members of a committed and involved professional group,
over an extended period of time, with opportunities for synchronous and asynchronous
communication (Duncan-Howell, 2010). This type of support network for online teachers
is a key to providing sustained professional learning that can positively impact the quality
of instructional support and increase student learning in both the traditional and virtual
settings (Vescio et al., 2008).
According to a study of online learning communities for teachers, these
communities enable participants to learn from their peers, stay up-to-date with current
trends, engage in discussions, share professional knowledge, obtain support from
colleagues, and build a network of like-minded educators (Duncan-Howell, 2010).
Teachers who participate in this type of learning community are provided with authentic
opportunities for interaction and community-building, which are research-based practices
for effective online teaching (Cavanaugh et al., 2009; Hawkins et al., 2013). This
community of practice framework can function as an apprenticeship model for preservice
teachers as they are learning new skills by providing both a structure and process for
developing and maintaining an online learning community. In this type of learning

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environment, they can work with practicing teachers and engage with field-specific
experts through a network of support.
Ultimately, in order for distance education to be effective, the design efforts must
consider the barriers to effective learning such as transactional, psychological, and
sociological distance (Moore, 1996; Wolcott, 1996). The student’s skills and learning
experience can be enhanced by designing and facilitating distance learning programs that
encourage both discussions and interactions between the teacher and students, and
between groups of students (Wagner, 1997). Within the distance learning environment, a
variety of methodologies can be utilized to facilitate effective interactions, such as roleplaying, panel discussions, case studies, and authentic collaborative problem-solving
(Cyrs & Conway, 2000).
Summary
This literature review explored the need for positive teacher-student relationships at
the elementary level and the ability of teachers to establish these relationships with a
diverse student population (considering the students’ culture, socio-economic level, and
language), and in a distance learning environment. The literature indicates the correlation
of positive outcomes to school connectedness, engagement, motivation, resiliency, and
increased student achievement.
Positive teacher-student relationships are the building block for effective instruction
(Marzano & Marzano, 2003). The teacher-student relationship creates the culture and
climate of the classroom, lays the foundation for future academic success, and the
development of the students’ emotional and social wellbeing (Hamre & Pianta, 2005).
The students’ perceptions of interpersonal connectedness to teachers at school and

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"belonging" to the school culture can also have an impact on their academic
engagement and psychological well-being (Goodenow & Grady, 1992; Wentzel,
1994). Establishing positive relationships between the teacher and students who represent
different ethnic or socioeconomic groups, communicates to students that they are
valuable, capable, and worthy of being heard (Giani & O’Guin, 2010; Hughes & Kwok,
2007). When learning remotely, the dynamic relationship between the teacher and
students becomes even more important. While building meaningful relationships with
students in a distance learning environment may be a challenge for many teachers, these
relationships have been shown to increase engagement and improve the overall
satisfaction of the students (Martin, 2017).
Therefore, the emphasis for teacher preparation programs must focus on developing
and preparing teachers with the knowledge of their role in establishing the teacherstudent relationship within the classroom environment. Teacher preparation programs
must also support the preservice teachers’ understanding that academic learning
occurs when students feel like they belong and are a part of the classroom
community.

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CHAPTER THREE
Methodology
The literature review focused on the importance of developing positive teacherstudent relationships in a distance learning environment and identified how a supportive
classroom environment facilitates active student engagement and participation, which are
critical factors for the academic, social, and emotional development of students. The
relationship and support from the teacher also have a direct impact on student
engagement (Murray & Greenberg, 2000; Wentzel, 1998). According to Wolcott (1996),
it is the positive rapport between the teacher and students that enables the teacher-student
relationship to develop and the learning discourse to occur. Therefore, for student
success, it is important to both create and sustain a positive and supportive classroom
environment.
The literature review also explored teacher dispositions when providing distance
learning instruction to elementary students in a diverse school setting, as well as
strategies for creating a positive rapport and a sense of belonging with students. The
relationships between teachers and students and among students and their peers foster the
students’ sense of belonging in the classroom (Meeuwisse et al., 2010). The student’s
sense of belonging has an impact on indicators of school success such as the student
academic motivation (Faircloth & Hamm, 2011), academic aspirations, persistence, and
performance (Murphy & Zirkel, 2015), as well as the academic, social, and emotional
outcomes (Appleton et al., 2006). These studies also highlighted how student
engagement, satisfaction, and retention increase when teachers build positive
relationships with their students during distance learning (Marzano & Marzano, 2003).

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Several studies identified the lack of support and development of teachers as they
engage with students during distance learning. Consequently, many teachers who provide
online instruction have received little to no training on how to design a supportive
distance learning classroom environment (Hawkins et al., 2012). In addition, specific
courses on how to conduct online instruction are seldom offered during teacher
preparation programs. This has resulted in many novice teachers having limited
experience as online learners and lacking the knowledge and experience of how to plan
and deliver online instruction (Barbour et al., 2013; Kennedy & Archambault, 2012;
Kennedy et al., 2013). Although K-12 distance learning has grown exponentially during
the past few years, there is limited research on the best practices for training and
preparing preservice teachers (Barbour, 2016; Ferdig et al., 2009) to establish
relationships and lead instruction in a distance learning environment. In addition to these
concerns, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the urgency for research on how to
develop and support the preservice teachers’ ability to implement effective practices and
to create a supportive distance learning classroom setting.
The student teaching practicum within the teacher preparation program plays a
critical role in preparing preservice teachers with the knowledge and skills needed to
create a supportive classroom culture, communicate care, and emphasize positive feelings
of belonging within the classroom. Creating learning communities for teachers enables
them to learn from their peers, stay up-to-date with current trends, engage in discussions,
share professional knowledge, obtain support from colleagues, and build a network of
like-minded educators (Duncan-Howell, 2010).

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In order to create meaningful relationships with students, preservice teachers need
to self-reflect on relationship-building strategies by identifying if the effectiveness of the
strategies. During this study, the preservice teachers reflected on their knowledge of
relationship-building strategies during pre-intervention interviews. Then the intervention
was applied in which the preservice teachers participated in a small learning community
where they learned specific relationship-building strategies through a book study using
the book, Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind: Practical Strategies for Raising
Achievement. This book focused on how to build positive teacher and student
relationships with low socioeconomic minority students in an urban school environment.
After the intervention, the preservice teachers reflected on the relationship-building
strategies they implemented with students during post-intervention interviews.
This action research study implemented a mixed-methods approach using
interviews, observations, and journal reflections for data collection. The participants in
this action research study were preservice teachers assigned to work with elementary
students in an urban school setting during their student teaching placement. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, instruction during the student teaching practicum was delivered
within an online distance learning classroom setting. In response to the literature, the
researcher set out to determine if the preservice teachers’ disposition and ability to create
supportive relationships within the distance learning environment, developed after
engaging in ongoing professional development.
Purpose
The purpose of this research study was to gain insight into the perceptions and the
degree to which preservice teachers implement relationship-building strategies to foster

40

DEVLOPING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS DURING DISTANCE LEARNING
positive teacher-student relationships while providing instruction through a distance

learning platform. This study also sought to identify deficit areas that teacher preparation
programs could address to prepare preservice teachers to establish positive teacherstudent relationships within the distance learning classroom environment. As a result, the
following research questions were identified:
1. How do preservice teachers perceive the importance of relationshipbuilding strategies when delivering distance learning instruction?
2. What do preservice teachers perceive as indicators of emerging positive
teacher-student relationships during distance learning?
3. In what ways does distance learning impact the development of positive
classroom relationships between the preservice teacher and students?
Setting and Participants
This action research study was conducted through the elementary and early
childhood program at a campus in northeastern Pennsylvania, which is part of a larger
university with multiple campuses in Pennsylvania. This campus is relatively small and
located in a suburban community. The program places preservice teachers in the
neighboring urban K-12 school district for the student teaching practicum during the fall
and spring semesters of the senior year. During the fall semester, the preservice teachers
are placed in an elementary classroom for the full day on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
During the spring semester, the preservice teachers engage in full-time classroom
instruction in an elementary classroom, Monday through Friday. The preservice teachers
are supervised by University staff and experienced teachers who serve as their mentors.
The preservice teachers also attend a seminar on campus once a week for two and a half

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hours after the school day. During the time of this study, there were fifteen preservice
teachers enrolled in the teacher preparation program.
Within the elementary and early childhood program practicum experience, the
preservice teachers are placed in an elementary classroom in the neighboring urban
school district. The neighboring district is a large, urban school district serving the city of
Reading and located between Harrisburg and Philadelphia in southeastern Pennsylvania.
The District has nineteen schools, including thirteen elementary schools, five middle
schools, and one senior high school. With more than 17,800 students and approximately
2,000 staff members, the school district is the fourth-largest school district in
Pennsylvania. The district is also a Title 1 school district located in a high-poverty
community. According to the school district’s website (2020), the students represent 28
countries and speak 27 different languages. The student population is 80.7% Latino, 9.3%
Black, 6.9% White, 2.5% Multiracial, and 0.5% Asian. Approximately 93.3% of the
students are economically disadvantaged and qualify for free or reduced-price lunch,
approximately 25% are English Language Learners, and approximately 18% are Special
Education Learners (2020).
During the final two semesters of the elementary and early childhood education
teacher preparation program, the preservice teachers are placed in an elementary
classroom in the school district for a total of twenty-eight weeks. During the fall
semester, the preservice teachers participate in the first half of the practicum experience.
This experience lasts for fourteen weeks. Over the course of the fall semester, the
preservice teachers spend two full weeks in the school. One week during the beginning of
the semester and one week during the middle of the semester to observe how their mentor

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teacher creates and maintains the classroom community and expectations. For the
remaining twelve weeks of the semester, the students are at the placement school for two
full days per week. During the spring semester, the preservice teachers return to the same
classroom for the full-time component of the student teaching practicum for an additional
fourteen weeks. During this study, the preservice teachers in the cohort were placed in
one of three elementary schools within the school district and were randomly assigned to
a grade level, mentor teacher, and university supervisor for the fall and spring semesters
for the student teaching practicum.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the school district provided distance learning
instruction during the majority of the school year. The preservice teachers participated in
the student teaching placement for a total of twenty-eight weeks. During the first twentysix weeks, all classroom instruction was provided utilizing Google Meet as the
instructional platform for full remote instruction. During the last two weeks, classroom
instruction was provided through a hybrid model. For the hybrid model, the district
provided both in-person and distance instruction simultaneously. Parents had the option
of choosing the mode of instruction for their students. This resulted in the preservice
teachers being required to develop positive rapport and relationships with students within
a totally virtual distance learning environment during the first twenty-six weeks of the
student teaching practicum and a hybrid model for the last two weeks.
The participants in the study included eight of the preservice teachers from the
student teaching cohort. The participants were white, middle-class females from
Pennsylvania. The participants were all placed in an urban school setting with primarily
Hispanic and ELL students. During the placement, the participants were assigned to a

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primary classroom with a mentor teacher. The mentor teachers were also white, middleclass females. The mentor teachers played an important role in the preservice teacher’s
practicum experience, as they provided individual guidance and support. The mentor
teacher was responsible for delegating teaching responsibilities to the preservice teacher
as their comfort level and expertise increased. The mentor was also responsible for
determining the balance between modeling instructional practices for student teachers to
observe and providing opportunities for the student teacher to apply the strategies taught
by leading instruction with the students. Over the course of the practicum, the mentor
teachers exerted a powerful influence on the attitudes and practices of the preservice
teachers.
For the study, four of the participants were assigned to a lower primary
(Kindergarten to second grade) classroom and four were assigned to an upper primary
(third to fourth grade) classroom. Google Classroom was the learning management
system and instructional platform utilized throughout the study to provide all content
instruction.
During the second week of the semester, the researcher met with the studentteacher cohort to describe the purpose of the study and extend an invitation to participate.
The student teachers were informed that participation in the study would include an
individual interview prior to and after conducting the intervention, four classroom
observations, and the submission of four journal reflections. The student teachers were
also informed that their participation in the study was voluntary, and they could end their
participation in the study at any time. Then, the student teachers were provided with the

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44

Informed Participant Consent (Appendix B) to complete to communicate their interests in
participating in the study.
Intervention and Research Plan
After the pre-intervention interviews, an intervention plan was implemented to
provide the participants with specific strategies they could utilize to build positive
relationships with the students in their class. The intervention occurred during the months
of January, February, and March, as the participants were in the full-time teaching
component of their student teaching practicum from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm five days a
week. Over the course of the three months, the participants were expected to gradually
teach each content area, leading up to a full load of teaching responsibilities by the last
month of the practicum. As they assumed more responsibilities for teaching, the
participants would need to establish and maintain positive relationships with the students.
For this reason, the intervention plan was developed. The purpose of the intervention was
to provide strategy instruction for building positive teacher-student relationships and to
establish a learning community for discussions and idea-sharing among the participants.
The text selected for the book study was Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind:
Practical Strategies for Raising Achievement by Eric Jensen. This book was selected due
to the emphasis on making the classrooms relevant, engaging, and full of affirming
relationships for students of poverty (Jenson, 2013). The book also explained crucial
factors for engaging students from low socio-economic communities and provided
specific strategies for creating a high-energy, engaging, and positive class climate to
foster student success.

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45

For the intervention, the study participants engaged with each other as a
community of learners to learn strategies for building positive teacher-student
relationships, participating in discussions about the need for the strategies, and
determining how the strategies could be integrated into the classroom instruction. During
the intervention, study participants read a chapter of the book each week and participated
in a discussion through Zoom. The book discussions were held once a week after school
for one hour. Each week, one of the study participants facilitated a presentation and
discussion on one chapter from the book. During the presentations, the participants
provided an overview of the chapter and planned a discussion activity to apply the
strategies from their chapter. After reading the chapter and participating in the discussion,
the participants incorporated the strategies from the chapter into their lesson plans and
identified how the strategy would be implemented during their lessons.
Fiscal Implications
The implementation of the intervention during the student teaching practicum
comes with financial implications, including the stipend for mentor teachers and the cost
associated with the text used for the professional reading. When placing preservice
teachers in a student teaching placement for the practicum experience, a mentor teacher
must be assigned. This financial commitment cost the university approximately $400 per
mentor teacher for the length of the practicum experience. With an average cohort size of
18 preservice teachers, the budget for the mentor stipend would be approximately $7,200.
The text used for the study cost $26.95. The preservice teachers are responsible for the
cost of the text. For an average cohort of 18 preservice teachers, the cost of the text
would be approximately $485. The budget for the student teaching practicum experience

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46

should be determined by the current program enrollment numbers, with additional
budgeting for students who may transfer from another university to participate in the
practicum experience.
Research Design, Methods, and Data Collection
The researcher chose a mixed-methods approach to address the research
questions. The mixed-methods approach integrated qualitative and quantitative data and
enabled the researcher to utilize the strengths of each type while simultaneously
addressing aspects that could be considered weaknesses or limitations (Mertler, 2019).
The researcher implemented the mixed-methods design with a greater emphasis on
qualitative rather than quantitative data collection. Phenomenological research was the
qualitative research design. The benefit of the phenomenological approach is that it can
be used to describe and interpret experiences from the participants’ perspectives
(Mertens, 2005). A descriptive research design was utilized for the quantitative research.
The purpose of the descriptive design was to “describe and interpret the current status of
individuals, settings, conditions, or events” (Mertler, 2019, p. 95).
Quantitative data for the study was collected through pre-and post-intervention
interviews, participant lesson plans, and observations. The collection of the quantitative
data was to reduce bias and to provide reliable and precise data to determine the extent to
which preservice teachers incorporated relationship-building strategies into their
instructional practices during distance learning. However, because quantitative data does
not explain the meaning and context, the researcher also collected qualitative data
through the pre-and post-intervention interviews, participant journals, and the
participants’ written lesson reflections. By incorporating qualitative data, the researcher

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47

was able to explore the experiences of the participants, which provided depth and context
for the data. The researcher also used the qualitative data to determine the perceptions of
preservice teachers regarding the skills necessary to establish, develop and maintain
positive relationships within a distance learning classroom environment.
The proposed research plan was approved by the Head of the Division of
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at the branch campus on August 14, 2020. The
plan was submitted to the Institutional Research Board (IRB) at the California University
of Pennsylvania on August 19, 2020. The IRB confirmed the approval of the research
project on September 16, 2020. A copy of the approval letter is attached as Appendix A.
Prior to starting the study, the principals at the three urban schools, where the
university had an established relationship for placing student teachers, were contacted.
The principals were asked to identify experienced mentor teachers for the student
teaching placements. The preservice teachers in the cohort were then asked to identify
their top three grade-level preferences. Afterward, the preservice teachers’ grade level
preferences and the lists of available schools, mentors, and grade levels were compared.
Then, the preservice teachers were assigned to a student teaching placement for the fall
and spring semesters.
Once the placements were determined and the research plan was approved, the
researcher held a Zoom meeting with the preservice teachers in the student-teacher
cohort. During the meeting, the researcher described the research study, the role of the
study participants, and the planned data collection methods to the preservice teachers.
The participants were informed that their participation in this study was completely
voluntary. They were also informed of their right to end their participation in the study at

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48

any time with no questions asked or consequences for withdrawing from the study. The
researcher informed the participants that the focus of the research was to study the
perceptions of preservice teachers regarding the skills necessary to establish, develop,
and maintain positive relationships within a distance learning classroom environment.
Their participation in this study would assist the researcher in learning more about the
preservice teachers’ dispositions for developing positive student and teacher
relationships, the extent to which preservice teachers incorporate engagement strategies
into their instructional practices, and their ability to recognize when adjustments needed
to be made to maintain a positive student-teacher relationship. The researcher explained
that individual interviews would be conducted at the initial and ending stages of the
study. The interviews would be recorded and transcribed by the researcher, with all
identifying information removed from the transcripts.
After the meeting, the preservice teachers were invited to participate in the study
and the researcher disseminated the participant consent form through email (Appendix
B). The fifteen student teachers signed the consent form to express interest in
participating in the study. From the cohort of fifteen preservice teachers, the researcher
randomly selected eight to participate in the study. The researcher chose only eight preservice teachers to participate in the study due to the required time needed for the preintervention and post-intervention interviews and the number of individual observations
necessary to adequately observe the application of the intervention. All preservice
teachers received the intervention instruction, however data was only collected on the
eight preservice teachers who were randomly selected. After the participants were
selected, the study began during the third week of the fall semester.

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The research study included a pre-study intervention phase, the application of the
intervention, and finally a post-study intervention phase. The artifacts used for data
collection during each phase of the study included interviews, observations, journal
reflections, and lesson plan reviews. During the pre-study intervention phase, the
researcher held individual pre-intervention interviews, collected the initial journal
reflection, and conducted baseline observations. The pre-intervention interviews were
conducted by the researcher using Zoom and the pre-study interview questions
(Appendix C). The pre-intervention interview questions were used to gather baseline data
on the preservice teachers’ initial knowledge and implementation of relationship-building
strategies to develop positive relationships with students and their perceptions of
indicators of positive teacher-student relationships.
During the pre-intervention phase, the participants were asked to plan and deliver
a rapport activity to get to know the students in their class. The participants implemented
the rapport activity with students during the first month of the student teaching
placement. Following the activity, the participants wrote a prompted journal reflection on
the rapport activity. Within the reflection, participants were asked to explain the activity,
how the students responded, and their perception of the impact of the activity. The data
collected from this artifact was used to analyze the participants’ reflections on their initial
attempts to build rapport with the students. The pre-study interview, rapport activity, and
reflection provided the baseline data for the study. During the third and fourth week of
the student teaching placement, the research conducted baseline observations of the
participants as they delivered a morning meeting lesson to the students through Google
Meet.

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50

After the baseline data was collected, the intervention was applied during the first
two months of the spring semester, when the participants were in their full-time student
teaching placement. During the intervention phase, the participants were provided with
relationship-building strategies that could be applied within the elementary school
setting. An overview of the strategies was presented, along with examples of how the
strategies could be adapted for different grade levels, as outlined in Table 1.
Table 1
Intervention Strategies for Building Positive Teacher-Student Relationships According to
Jensen, 2013
Positive Attitude
• use affirmations
• employ small engagers
• give yourself permission to make mistakes
Encourage Interactions
• share about yourself
• respect students
• incorporate interactive language
Get Buy-in
• accentuate student interests
• offer an incentive
• pique students’ curiosity
Embrace clarity
• use fewer words
• frame directions positively
• give clear, simple directions
Show Passion
• stay active
• vary voice intentionally
• keep eyes focused on students
• focus on what you want to happen

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51

Manage Mind-Body States
• reduce lecture time.
• eliminate the “fight, flight, or freeze” response
• give students more control
• ask compelling questions
• keep students in suspense
Establish a Classroom Community
• form cooperative groups
• get to know you activities
• help students gain social status
Sustain Emotional Positivity
• use emotional punctuation.
• provide positive classroom responses
• accentuate the positive
• use variety in your celebrations
Teach Positive Social and Emotional Responses
• model appropriate responses
• teach responses with fun activities

During the intervention phase, the researcher collected data through journal
reflections and two observations of the participants leading instruction. The study
participants maintained weekly journal reflections where they described the strategies
implemented to build a supportive teacher-student relationship with the students. The
journal reflections were uploaded to Canvas, the learning management system utilized by
the university. The observations were conducted as the participants delivered a lesson to
students on Google Meet. The researcher joined the meeting with the computer camera
off and microphone muted, as to not distract the students. The data collected from the
observations and journal reflections were used to determine if participation in a
community of learners had an influence on the participants’ perceptions of the need to

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52

build positive teacher-student relationships and how the participants incorporated the
strategies when leading instruction with students.
After the intervention was applied, the study shifted to the post-intervention phase
during the last month of the spring semester. During this phase of the study, the
researcher collected post-intervention data on the extent to which the preservice teachers
incorporated the relationship-building strategies into their delivery of instruction during
distance learning. The researcher also conducted a post-intervention final interview with
each participant. The post-intervention interviews were conducted by the researcher using
Zoom and the post-intervention interview questions (Appendix D). Prior to completing
the practicum experience, the participants developed a closing rapport activity and
implemented it with the students. After completing the activity, the participants wrote a
final prompted journal reflection on the indicators of an established positive teacherstudent relationship. The final journal reflection was uploaded to Canvas. The researcher
also conducted one post-intervention observation of the participants leading instruction
with the students through Google Meet. Data was also collected on the participants’
perceptions of indicators of positive teacher and student relationships in a distance
learning environment.
Data collection methods were implemented in an effort to address the research
questions and to determine if the data collection methods yielded comparable results. The
first method of data collection was the semi-structured pre-intervention and postintervention interviews, utilizing both planned questions and following up questions for
the participants to expand on their responses. The interview questions were developed by
the researchers to identify the participants’ experience observing and implementing

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relationship-building strategies. The characteristics of semi-structured interviews, as
defined by Cohen and Crabtree (2006) include:
(1) the interviewer and respondents engage in a formal interview, (2) the
interviewer develops and uses an 'interview guide.' This is a list of questions and
topics that need to be covered during the conversation, usually in a particular
order, and (3) the interviewer follows the guide, but is able to follow topical
trajectories in the conversation that may stray from the guide when he or she feels
this is appropriate” (para. 1).
According to Hendricks (2017), semi-structured interviews are “a good way to make sure
that questions important to the researcher are answered while providing participants with
an opportunity to add other useful information” (p.92). “The semi-structured interview
guide provides a clear set of instructions for interviewers and can provide reliable,
comparable qualitative data” (Cohen and Crabtree, 2006, p.2). The pre-intervention and
post-intervention interview questions are provided in Appendix C and D.
Data for the study was also collected through quantitative observations.
Quantitative observational studies enable the researcher to focus on specific behaviors
that can be quantified (Leedy and Ormrod, 2013). The strength of observational data is
that it allows the researcher to see, hear, and describe the complexity of behaviors
(Mertler, 2019), which is more natural and less restrictive. For this study, observations
were conducted through the Google Meet platform. The researcher joined the Google
meeting prior to the start of the lesson to observe the interactions between the students
and the preservice teachers prior to, during, and after the delivery of instruction.

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There are also limitations to observational data collection due to the amount of
time needed to conduct the observations, the advanced planning, and the attention to
detail required (Leedy & Ormond, 2013). For this study, the observation data were
collected through an observation rubric and narrative descriptions. During the
observations, the researcher utilized the data analysis checklist (Marzano, 2005) to track
the specific behaviors of the study participants as they interacted with students and tallied
the number of times the interactions occurred (Appendix E). After the observations, a
narrative description was written to provide detailed contextual information. The
observation data were also recorded in the form of field notes as written observations of
the events occurring in a specific setting (Mertler, 2019). The researcher collected the
field notes by using a two-column chart. In one column, information from the actual
observation was recorded. In the second column, the researcher wrote the preliminary
interpretations of what was being observed. The interpretations are referred to as the
observer’s comments (Bogdan and Biklen, 2007). The comments show the emerging
patterns from the data and provide the researcher with the ability to integrate ongoing
data analysis into the process of conducting qualitative research (Mertler, 2019).
Another form of data collected for the study was artifacts of work and products
created by the participants, including lesson plans and self-reflection journals. Artifacts
were collected for qualitative inquiry data to identify participant thoughts, perceptions,
and experiences related to the research questions (Hendricks, 2017). Through the selfreflection journals, the study participants maintained a narrative account of their
reflection of their practice (Mertler, 2019). With the self-reflection journals, prompts
were used for the pre-intervention and post-intervention interviews to ensure that

DEVLOPING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS DURING DISTANCE LEARNING
information relevant to the research questions was collected. Participant-generated
artifacts included lesson plans to determine if the participants were incorporating
strategies from the book study into their instructional plans. The data collection plan is
provided in Table 2.
Table 2
Data Collection Timeline
August/September 2020
Planning Phase

•
•

September/October 2020
Pre-intervention Phase

November 2020/December 2020
Pre-intervention Phase

January 2021
Intervention Phase
February 2021
Intervention Phase
March 2021
Post-Intervention Phase
April 2021
Post-Intervention Phase

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Finalize interview questions and
determine interview format
Identify study participants
(determine the size of the
participant group, determine if
participants will be in the same
grade level or represent different
grade levels)
Meet with study participants to
communicate the introduction
and overview of the study
Administer baseline interviews
Collect initial journal reflection
Conduct baseline observations
Analyze baseline interviews,
journal reflections, and
observations
Identify appropriate intervention
Conduct observations
Collect journal reflections
Administer intervention
Conduct observations
Collect journal reflections
Administer intervention
Administer final interviews
Collect final journal reflection
Conduct final observations
Analyze baseline and final
interview
Analyze observation data
Analyze journal reflections

55

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Multiple data sources were used to answer the research questions. The first
research question sought to identify if preservice teachers incorporated relationshipbuilding strategies into their instruction to develop positive teacher and student
relationships in a distance learning environment. To answer this question, the researcher
conducted semi-structured interviews during the pre-intervention and post-intervention
phases to uncover the participants’ perceptions on the need for relationship-building
strategies and their experience implementing strategies within the classroom setting prior
to and after the intervention. Additional data to answer this question was gathered
through four observations over the course of the study, with the goal of identifying how
the participants incorporated relationship-building strategies into their lessons. The
artifacts collected for this question included four lesson plans written by the preservice
teachers. The lesson plans were used to identify if the engagement strategies were being
incorporated within the instructional planning, and the extent to which the strategies were
evident.
The second research question sought to determine the preservice teachers’
perceived indicators of emerging positive teacher-student relationships during distance
learning. To answer this question, the researcher collected prompted journal entries from
the participants for the purpose of uncovering the participants’ thoughts and reflections
on their efforts to build relationships with the students.
The third research question sought to identify the ways in which distance learning
impacted the development of positive classroom relationships between the preservice
teacher and the students. To answer this question, the researcher conducted semistructured interviews and lesson observations to identify how and when the relationship-

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building strategies were incorporated into the distance learning classroom environment.
Data was also gathered on the participants’ perspectives on the need for positive and
supportive teacher-student relationships in the distance learning environment.
Validity
Validity within a research study is the extent to which the results provide an
accurate measurement of what the data was intended to measure (Mertler, 2019). The
validity of the data is determined by the it’s trustworthiness, accuracy, and believability
(Mertler, 2019). In an effort to establish the validity, the researcher utilized multiple
forms of data collection including interviews, observations, and participant artifacts to
triangulate the data. The researcher ensured that each data collection measurement was
targeted to respond to each research question. According to Hendricks (2017), collecting
multiple sources of data is a necessary step in action research. When researchers use
multiple sources to corroborate findings, the credibility of those findings is increased
(p.65). According to Rossman and Rallis (2012), triangulation “helps ensure that you
have not studied only a fraction of the complexity that you seek to understand” (p.65).
Summary
The primary purpose of this mixed-methods research study was to gain an
understanding of the perception and ability of preservice teachers placed in a diverse
school setting to develop positive teacher-student relationships when instruction is taught
in a distance learning environment. The secondary purpose was to determine how the
skill of creating a supportive classroom environment community emerges within a
distance learning classroom environment, and investigate the role of a professional
development book study to teach strategies for relationship-building.

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The intervention applied through the action research study included facilitated
discussions on relationship building strategies from the book Engaging Students with

Poverty in Mind: Practical Strategies for Raising Achievement. Through the book study,
the participants were exposed to relationship-building strategies to support the
development of positive teacher-student relationships in the distance learning
environment. The intervention was intended to improve the overall ability of the
preservice teachers to engage with students in a distance learning environment and create
a positive and supportive classroom environment. Based on the research included in the
literature review, by improving the ability and effectiveness of the preservice teachers to
create a positive and supportive distance learning classroom environment, the teacher is
able to build positive and supportive relationships with students. During the study, both
quantitative and qualitative data were collected over a seven-month period. The data was
triangulated to monitor participant growth and utilization of relationship-building
strategies to analyze the effectiveness of the intervention. The analysis of the data and
results of the study will be provided in Chapter IV.

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CHAPTER IV
Data Analysis and Results
During the student-teaching practicum experience, preservice teachers are
expected to develop positive and supportive relationships with students as they gain
experience planning and delivering instruction. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the
practicum experience would include a field placement in a classroom of students with a
mentor teacher. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the structure of instruction in
K-12 schools changed drastically from full in-person delivery of instruction to online
distance learning. Although the mode of instruction had changed, preservice teachers
who enrolled in a student-teaching practicum experience were still expected to develop a
positive and supportive relationship with the students.
The student teachers participating in the study were enrolled in a year-long
practicum experience. During the practicum experience, all classroom instruction was
delivered in a distance learning environment through Google Meet. The researcher
examined three aspects of the student teaching experience including the ability of the
preservice teachers to incorporate strategies to develop positive teacher and student
relationships while delivering instruction through distance learning, the preservice
teachers’ perception of the indicators of an emerging positive teacher-student relationship
during distance learning, and the impact of distance learning on positive relationships
between preservice teachers and students. The results from this study provided valuable
findings on the training needed during the teacher preparation program to prepare
preservice teachers to purposefully create positive and supportive relationships with
students during online field experiences. Generalizations from the results of the study

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benefit the school district and mentor teachers working with preservice teachers during
distance learning instruction and teacher preparation programs that train preservice
teachers.
The data collection timeline was implemented to gather data through the specific
sequence as outlined in Table 2 on page 57, with the analysis of the data occurring
concurrently. The researcher conducted interviews, lesson observations, and collected
journal reflections during the beginning, mid-point, and end of the study. To ensure the
validity of the data collected, the researcher incorporated the use of both quantitative and
qualitative data collection methods. First, the researcher administered the baseline preintervention interview (Appendix C) with the purpose of identifying emerging themes
from participant responses. Then baseline observations were conducted, and the initial
journal reflections were collected. The pre-intervention interviews were recorded, and the
researcher transcribed the interviews. Once all the interviews were transcribed, the
researcher initiated the process of coding each interview separately. By coding the
interviews separately, each interview was coded as an independent data set. Once all the
interviews were coded, the researcher identified themes to categorize the data from the
set of interviews. After the baseline pre-intervention interviews were completed, an initial
classroom observation of each participant was conducted. The researcher collected the
classroom observation data using the observation rubric (Appendix E) to identify the
utilization of specific engagement and relationship-building strategies. During the
observation, the researcher tallied the use of the observed strategies and noted direct and
summarized quotes from the participants. Following the classroom observations, the
observation rubric and notes were coded, and consistent themes were identified. In

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addition to the interviews and observations, the researcher collected an initial journal
reflection from each participant. The study participants planned and delivered a rapport
activity with their class of students and wrote a prompted journal reflection on the
activity. The researcher reviewed each journal reflection and coded them separately as an
individual data set. After the journal reflections were coded, the researcher identified
themes to categorize the data from the set of reflections.
From the initial data collection gathered from the interviews, observations, and
journal reflections, the researcher developed a professional learning plan based on the
common themes identified. The professional learning plan was implemented after the
pre-intervention data collection and before the post-intervention data collection. A
discussion of the professional learning plan will be presented later in this chapter.
During the post-intervention data collection phase, a similar process was
implemented to collect and analyze the data. The post-intervention interviews were
recorded, transcribed, and coded as independent data sets. The observation rubric was
utilized during the post-intervention observation to tally the observed strategies. The
researcher also recorded direct and summarized participant quotes during the observation.
The prompted final journal reflection was coded as individual data sets, and emerging
themes were identified to categorize the data. Once the final data collection was
completed, the researcher analyzed the data to identify the resulting themes.
Pre-Intervention Results
The researcher conducted two phases of data collection and analysis. The first
phase occurred at the beginning of the study, prior to implementing the intervention. The
data collected during this phase was used to determine the participants’ knowledge and

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experience implementing relationship-building strategies during instruction. The data
collected included interviews, observations, and journal reflections. The analysis of the

data informed the development of the professional learning plan, which was implemented
with the participants over a span of three months. After implementing the professional
learning plan, the researcher conducted the second phase of data collection. The process
for the second phase mirrored the first phase and included interviews, observations, a
review of lesson plans, and journal reflections. The purpose of the second phase of data
collection was to determine the impact of the professional learning plan on the
participants’ use of relationship-building strategies. In order to gain a clear understanding
of the results of the study, it is necessary to analyze both the phase one pre-intervention
data and phase two post-intervention data in relation to the shared themes. A discussion
of the overall participant perceptions from pre-intervention to post-intervention is
provided later in this chapter.
Pre-Intervention Interviews
Data from the phase one pre-intervention interviews (Appendix C) identified the
participants’ experience working with elementary students, their understanding of the
importance of a positive teacher-student relationship, strategies they observed being used,
and a rating of their confidence to develop a positive relationship with students while
teaching in a distance learning environment.
Participants were asked to describe their experience working with or interacting
with elementary students prior to the student teaching placement. Table 3 shows the
number of participants whose only experience came from the university field experiences
and the number who had experiences in addition to the university experiences. Five of the

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participants had experience in an educational setting with elementary students prior to the
student teaching placement. For three of the participants, their only experience with
elementary students occurred during the university field experiences. Of the five
participants who reported having experience outside of the university required field
placements, their experience included babysitting, volunteering, or teaching elementary
students.
Table 3
Participant Experience Interacting with Elementary Students
Experience Type
University required field
experiences only
University required field
experiences and outside
experiences
• In-home babysitting
• Volunteering in a
childcare setting or
afterschool program
• Teaching in a childcare
setting or afterschool
program

Participants
n=8
3

5
1
1
3

The participants were asked to share their thoughts on the importance of creating
a positive teacher-student relationship and classroom environment. The participants all
commented on the importance of having a positive relationship and classroom
environment. Student Teacher 1 shared, “When you have a good relationship with the
students they enjoy coming to school, they are excited to learn, and they will do what the
teacher asks of them.” Student Teachers 8 and 5 stated that having a positive classroom
environment helps to build relationships with the students. Student Teacher 5 said, “it’s

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important to find ways to build a relationship with students by having conversations and
being silly.” Student Teacher 7 explained, “it’s very important. It’s one of the main
responsibilities of the classroom teacher. It helps the management of the classroom and
the student’s attitude, effort and respect towards the teacher.” She went on to describe a
classroom experience where she determined that a positive teacher-student relationship
was not present. “During one of my placements, I observed a teacher yelling at the
students. The students didn’t respect her and acted out by yelling and bullying each other.
Their behavior was a reflection of what the teacher was modeling.” Other participants
also expressed their thoughts on the importance of creating a positive classroom
environment and teacher-student relationships by sharing observations of when it was
missing. Student Teacher 4 shared an observation in a classroom where the students did
not have a positive relationship with the classroom aide because she made the students
uncomfortable by commenting on the academic ability of the students. Student Teachers
3 and 6 both shared that a positive classroom environment is important so that the
students will like you and listen to you. Student Teacher 2 shared, “having a positive
classroom environment is important so that the students enjoy being there.”
The participants were then asked to provide examples of strategies they observed
teachers using to support the development of positive teacher-student relationships.
Student Teacher 8 shared that she observed a teacher build personal connections with
students by demonstrating an interest in things the students liked. Student Teacher 1 said,
“The teacher took an interest in the students and acknowledged specific things about
them such as haircuts, siblings, and things the students liked.” Student Teacher 4
explained how the teacher used lots of positive reinforcements by saying, “I love how

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(student name) (student behavior).” Student Teacher 5 shared how the teacher modeled
positive peer interactions and school behaviors for the students, then explained why they
were important for the class to run smoothly. Student Teachers 7 and 2 described the
teacher actions they observed. Student Teacher 7, “The teacher got down on the students’
level to talk to them, greeting them as they entered the room, and made the lessons fun
and engaging.” Student Teacher 2, “the pre-school teacher encouraged us to eat with the
students to talk to them and get to know them in a non-instructional setting.” Students 3
and 6 commented on how the teachers were really friendly and consistently spoke kindly
towards the students.
Next, the participants were asked to rate their confidence in their ability to
develop positive relationships with students. Table 4 shows the participants’ responses
from highly confident to not confident. The responses indicate that half of the participants
were highly confident or confident, and the other half were a little confident to not
confident. One participant rated herself as highly confident in her ability to develop
positive teacher-student relationships with students, and three participants rated
themselves as confident. One participant rated herself as a little confident in her ability to
develop positive teacher-student relationships with students, and three participants rated
themselves as not confident.

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Table 4
Level of Confidence in Developing Positive Relationships with Students
Confidence level
(pre-intervention)
Highly confident

Self-rating
n=8
1

Confident

3

A little confident

1

Not confident

3

The responses indicate that half of the participants were highly confident or confident,
and the other half were a little confident to not confident. One participant rated herself as
highly confident in her ability to develop positive teacher-student relationships with
students, and three participants rated themselves as confident. One participant rated
herself as having little confidence in her ability to develop positive teacher-student
relationships with students, and 3 participants rated themselves as not confident.
The participants were then asked to explain the self-rating of their confidence in
their ability to develop positive teacher-student relationships with students. Student
Teacher 1 rated herself as highly confident. She explained that she felt confident because
“I taught preschool before, and it seemed to come naturally for me.” Student Teachers 4,
8, and 3 rated themselves as confident based on their prior experiences with children.
Student Teacher 8 said, “I feel confident because of my background knowledge and
experience working with students.” Student Teacher 4 stated, “I’m always around kids.
I’m able to connect with them.” Student Teacher 3 responded, “I babysit a lot of kids, and
they seem to enjoy having me around.” Student Teacher 2 rated herself as having only a
little confidence in developing a relationship with students. She said, “I haven’t done this

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before. I’m really nervous about how the students will respond to me.” Student Teacher 7
made a similar statement, but rated herself as not having confidence in her ability to
develop a relationship with students. Student Teachers 5 and 6 also rated themselves as
not having confidence, but for different reasons. Student Teacher 5 stated, “I’m not
confident in how to get students to talk and share their thoughts. Student Teacher 6
stated, “I’m not confident because I’m worried that I won’t know what to do.”
The participants were then asked to rate their confidence in their ability to
develop positive relationships with students in a distance learning environment. Table 5
shows the participants’ responses from highly confident to not confident. For this
question, the responses indicated that the majority of the participants were not confident
in their ability to develop positive teacher-student relationships with students in a
distance learning environment. Six of the eight participants rated themselves as not
confident in developing positive teacher-student relationships with students in a distance
learning environment. One participant rated herself as having a little confidence and one
participant rated herself as confident.
Table 5
Pre-Intervention Level of Confidence During Distance Learning
Confidence level
Highly confident

Self-rating
n=8
-

Confident

1

A little confident

1

Not confident

6

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The participants were then asked to explain the self-rating of their confidence in
their ability to develop a positive teacher-student relationship with students in a distance
learning environment. Of the six participants who responded as being not confident,
many of their reasons for responding this way were similar. Student Teacher 4 explained
that distance learning makes her nervous. She said, “I don’t know how can you connect
with someone on a screen?” Student Teacher 1 said, “I don’t feel confident because I
don’t know how I’m going to fit everything in. I won’t be able to talk to the students.
How will I get to know them and learn about their interest?” Student Teachers 2 and 7
explained that their lack of confidence was because they weren’t comfortable with
technology. Student Teachers 6 and 5 expressed that they weren’t sure what to do
because they have never seen anyone teach online before. Student Teacher 3 expressed
some confidence in her ability to develop positive teacher-student relationships with
students in a distance learning environment. She said, “I have a lot of experience with
children, I don’t think it will be too different.” Student Teacher 8 felt confident and
explained, “I have a good understanding of technology, so I feel confident that I will be
able to use technology to interact with the students.”
Pre-Intervention Observations
The researcher observed the participants as they taught their initial lessons with
students. The lessons were taught online using Google Meet. For the lesson, all
participants taught the morning meeting. The required components of the lesson consisted
of a greeting, movement activity, and calendar review. The participants could choose to
include an activity, read aloud, or a content-based mini-lesson for review. The researcher
observed the lesson and collected data on the utilization of strategies for building positive

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teacher-student relationships (Appendix E). The data collected during the preintervention observations is provided in Table 6.
The data collected during observation one before the application of the
intervention indicated participant strengths in three of the nine relationship-building
strategies, including showing passion, establishing a classroom community, and teaching
positive social and emotional responses. The utilization of the strategies for having a
positive attitude and establishing a classroom community was effectively implemented by
all eight of the participants. The strategy of teaching positive social and emotional
responses was utilized by seven of the participants. The strategy of showing passion was
utilized by six of the participants. The majority of the participants did not demonstrate the
use of five of the nine strategies, including encouraging interactions, getting buy-in,
embracing clarity, managing mind-body states, and sustaining emotional positivity. The
strategies for encouraging interactions, embracing clarity, and sustaining emotional
positivity were utilized by four of the participants. Two of the participants incorporated
the use of the strategy for getting buy-in. None of the participants incorporated the use of
the strategy for managing mind-body states.

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Table 6
Pre-Intervention Strategy Use
Strategy and actions

Observation one
(before intervention)
ST3 ST4 ST5 ST6

ST1

ST2

ST7

ST8

Positive attitude
Use affirmations
Employ small engagers
Give yourself permission to make
mistakes

Y

N

N

N

Y

N

Y

N

Encourage Interactions
Share about yourself
Respect students
Incorporate interactive language

Y

N

N

Y

Y

N

Y

N

Get buy-in
Accentuate student interests
Offer an incentive
Pique students’ curiosity

N

N

N

N

Y

N

Y

N

Embrace clarity
Use fewer words
Frame directions positively
Give clear, simple directions

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Show passion
Stay active
Vary voice intentionally
Keep eyes focused on students
Focus on what you want to
happen

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

Y

N

Manage Mind-Body States
Reduce lecture time.
Eliminate the “fight, flight, or
freeze” response
Give students more control
Ask compelling questions
Keep students in suspense

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

Establish a Classroom Community
Form cooperative groups
Get to know you activities
Help students gain social status

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

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Strategy and actions
ST1

ST2

Observation one
(before intervention)
ST3 ST4 ST5 ST6

Sustain Emotional Positivity
Use emotional punctuation.
Provide positive classroom
responses
Accentuate the positive
Use variety in your celebrations

N

Y

N

Y

Y

N

Y

N

Teach Positive Social and Emotional
Responses
Model appropriate responses
Teach responses with fun
activities

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

Y

Y

ST7

ST8

Note. ST = Student Teacher
Pre-Intervention Journal Reflections
The data from the participants’ pre-intervention journal reflections indicated three
emerging themes about the development of positive teacher-student relationships in a
distance learning environment. The themes included the importance of rapport-building
activities, the challenges of developing relationships in a distance learning environment,
and their perceptions of the need for, and impact of, positive teacher-student
relationships. Student Teachers 1, 3, and 4 commented on the importance of
implementing rapport-building activities. Student Teacher 1 shared, “the goal of this
activity was to begin to develop relationships between myself and the students, my
mentor teacher and the students, as well as amongst the students in the class.” Student
Teacher 4 shared, “the goal was to learn more about the students, and for the students to
learn more about each other. Many students had things in common, such as pets and older
or younger siblings, so I believe this helped the students to build rapport amongst
themselves. Student Teacher 3 explained:

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The goal of this activity was to build a relationship with my students and for the
students to build a relationship with one another. I think I accomplished this. I
will definitely include rapport-building activities in my classroom. Without them,
I do not think the students will create a bond or develop open lines of
communication. Taking the time during the first week and even throughout the
school year to build those relationships can help to create such a positive
classroom environment.
Student Teachers 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8 reflected on the challenges of developing
relationships in a distance learning environment. Student Teachers 1 and 7 both
commented on the technology challenge of not being able to see all the students in the
class on the screen at the same time. Student Teacher 7 shared this as a challenge because
“I couldn’t see if they were engaged and enjoying the activity.” Student Teacher 5 shared
the challenge of students being in different locations:
Some students were at a daycare center during class. They could not find anything
at their daycare that they thought was special enough to share with their class. If I
had a chance to go back and change this activity, I would explain the activity the
day before so that students could be prepared regardless of where they were
located when they logged into the class meeting.
Student Teachers 6 and 8 commented that doing the activity in a distance learning
environment was a challenge. Student Teacher 8 said:
It’s difficult to build relationships with students online. If I was doing the rapport
activity in the classroom, I would have done it differently, and it would have been

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more effective in helping the students to get to know each other and for me to get
to know them.
Student Teacher 6 stated, “It was challenging to do the rapport activity online. Doing this
activity in class would give students the opportunity to see each other, feel the emotions
in the class, and be active and motivated for the day ahead.”
The participants also shared their perceptions about the impact of the rapport
activity. Seven of the eight participants expressed a positive perception of the impact of
doing the rapport activity in the distance learning setting. While one participant shared
that she did not have a positive perception of the impact of doing the activity in the
distance learning setting. The participant responses include the following:
Student Teacher 1: My activity went well. I think most of the children enjoyed it
because they were smiling and actively participating. I think doing this activity
with the class helped them to feel more comfortable with me. Before doing the
activity, they seemed unsure of my purpose for being in the classroom. After the
activity, I noticed that, even though they called me “other teacher,” they said good
morning to me and were more responsive towards me.
Student Teacher 2: I believe this activity was successful. The students were
engaged and ready to share their drawings with the class. The connections the
students made during this activity seemed to create a positive classroom
community. Throughout the activity, I worked to remind students of similarities
in their answers and created my own positive connection to them.
Student Teacher 3: I wanted them to learn about me and learn about each other, as
well. I tried to ask questions that were not the normal introduction questions. I

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wanted them to think outside the box with the questions I asked. I think the
activity went well. All the students were focused and participated. Everyone was
putting their answers in the chat box. I think the students learned some new things
about one another and seemed to get to know me better, as well. It was the first
interaction the students really had with me, so it opened a new door for them to
communicate with me. There were a lot of positive comments. The students were
laughing and having conversations with one another. They were making
connections and learning who had the same interests as them.
Student Teacher 4: The rapport activity was extremely successful; the students
couldn’t wait to share their special objects and even commented on objects the
other students shared using the chat box. A few students were shy at first, but
after I started asking follow-up questions, they were more willing to open up and
talk about their objects. I also believe it helped break the ice between me and the
students. It was fun to also share about myself with the students.
Student Teacher 5: I believe this activity helped create a positive classroom
community because the students had a chance to share their special items with the
class.
Student Teacher 6: I would say the activity was very successful and created a
positive classroom community because each student participated and respected
each other when sharing. Each student was smiling, laughing, and listening
carefully to their classmates, so they could give a reply.
Student Teacher 7: After doing the rapport activity, I could see the students
becoming more comfortable with me. For example, before the activity, the

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students only greeted my mentor at the beginning and end of a lesson. After the
rapport activity, I noticed that the students started to say hello and goodbye to me
too. I started to feel like I was part of the class.
Student Teacher 8: The activity would have been better if I did it in the classroom
and not online. It would have been more effective in helping the students to get to
know each other and for the teachers to get to know their students.
Professional Learning Plan
The analysis of the phase one data informed the development of the professional
learning plan as the intervention. The professional learning plan was implemented to
instruct the participants on relationship-building strategies to support the development of
positive teacher-student relationships in the distance learning environment. The
professional learning plan consisted of three target goals. The first target goal was to
develop the participants’ understanding of the need for positive teacher-student
relationships. The professional learning topics included developing a positive climate,
student engagement, building cognitive capacity, increasing motivation and effort, and
automating engagement. In addition to these topics, additional emphasis was spent
correlating the concepts to students of diversity and poverty.
The second target goal emphasized strategies for building positive teacher-student
relationships. The participants were provided with relationship-building strategies that
could be applied with the elementary students. An overview of the strategies was
presented along with examples of how the strategies could be adapted for different grade
levels as outlined in Table 1 on page 52. The strategies that were introduced and modeled
for the participants.

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The third target goal of the professional learning plan was to establish a learning
community for discussions about the strategies. The participants engaged in a weekly
book discussion to grow as a community of learners. The book discussions were focused
on learning the strategies for building positive teacher-student relationships, discussing
the need for the strategies, identifying how the strategies could be integrated during
instruction, and sharing additional ideas for relationship building with adaptations for
grades Kindergarten to fourth grade. After reading the chapter and participating in the
chapter discussion, the participants incorporated the strategies from the book into their
lesson plans and reflected on the effectiveness of the strategies implemented.
Post-Intervention Results
After implementing the professional learning plan, the researcher conducted the
second phase of data collection. The process for the second phase mirrored the first phase
and included interviews, observations, and journal reflections. The second phase of the
data collection was used to determine the impact of the professional learning plan on the
participants’ use of relationship-building strategies in a distance learning environment.
Post-Intervention Interviews
The participants were asked to provide examples of strategies they observed their
mentor teachers use to develop positive teacher-student relationships in a distance
learning environment. The participants identified the method of encouraging interactions
as a common strategy they observed their mentor teachers utilize. Student Teachers 1, 3,
and 4 shared how their mentor teacher engaged the students by making personal
connections. Student Teacher 4 shared, “my mentor shared information about herself, and
made personal connections to students.” Student Teacher 1 said, “my mentor made

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connections with the students by making positive comments about things they cared
about such as, pets, siblings, something they were wearing, or something she could see in
their home.” Student Teacher 3 shared, “my mentor made a connection with the students
by sharing that she had a son in the same grade. She would share that she understood how
learning online was different. Making this personal connection helped to put the students
at ease.” Three participants discussed how their mentor teacher used the Google meeting
structure to develop a positive relationship with the students. Student Teacher 8
explained:
My mentor teacher would enter the Google meeting early each day to talk to
students. She provided sharing time during morning meetings and the first class
session after lunch. She would also identify common interests with the students
through books.
Student Teacher 2 shared how her mentor teacher greeted each student as they entered the
Google meeting and found common interests between the students and herself. Student
Teacher 7 said:
My mentor teacher would join the Google meeting early and stayed on after class
time to allow the students time to talk to her. During morning meetings, she
provided time for discussions and informal interactions between the students by
allowing them to ask questions. She was always cheerful and made sure she didn’t
embarrass students when she needed to correct behavior.
Student Teachers 5 and 6 also reported how their mentor teachers used morning meeting
time for relationship building. Student Teacher 5 shared, “My mentor used morning
meeting time to talk to the students and get to know them better. She also used humor to

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alleviate stressful situations, especially when the students were having difficulty learning
online and didn’t understand what to do.” Student Teacher 6 shared how her mentor used
morning meeting time to talk to students about their after school activities and their
weekend plans.
The researcher asked participants to provide examples of strategies they
implemented to develop positive teacher-student relationships in the distance learning
environment. There were two strategies that participants primarily utilized. The first was
the strategy of encouraging interactions by sharing about yourself. The second strategy
was establishing a classroom community by learning the students’ strengths, talents, and
by using getting to know you activities. Two participants shared how they worked to
develop positive relationships with students before starting their daily instruction in a
Google meeting. Student Teacher 1 shared how she would join the Google meeting early
to greet students as they entered. “ I would use this time to ask questions about their
home activities and interest. Student Teacher 2 also greeted students as they entered the
Google meeting and developed high-energy lessons that incorporated the students’
interests and brain breaks to maintain student engagement and focus. Student Teacher 5
discussed the use of high-energy lessons to sustain emotional positivity. She explained, “I
was energetic and animated during lessons. I asked a lot of questions to engage students
in discussions and provided multiple opportunities for the students to share their interests
and make personal connections.” The participants also discussed how they incorporated
social-emotional check-ins to develop the class community and learn more about the
students. Student Teacher 4 shared how she started her morning meetings with a social-

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emotional check-in for students to share how they were feeling emotionally. She
explained,
Sometimes the students would share how much they wanted to go back to school.
Then the other students would chime in to say they felt the same way. I think that
helped all the students to see that weren’t alone in the way they were feeling.
Providing interactive activities was another strategy used by the participants. Student
Teacher 7 shared:
During morning meetings, I would let them talk, and I planned activities for them
to socialize by playing a game or doing a Go Noodle. I also offered office hours at
the end of the day for students to stay in the Google meeting to talk to me. This
provided time for the students to share their thoughts and anything they wanted to
talk about.
Student Teacher 8 stated, “I used total physical response activities, fun games, and dances
related to the lessons to engage students in the instruction.”
Next, the researcher had the participants share indicators of an emerging positive
teacher-student relationship. Four of the participants responded that classroom
engagement and student participation had improved. Student Teacher 3 said, “I noticed
that the students were more engaged in the lessons. It wasn’t a struggle to get them to
participate. Student Teacher 5 explained, “The students were eager to participate and
responded to questions. During class discussions, their hands would shoot up to respond
and share their thoughts without the fear of not having the correct answer. They were
willing to try.” Student Teacher 1 commented, “The students were eager to work with me

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in small virtual groups. They started asking questions to get to know me better.” Student
Teacher 8 said:
The students became more engaged in the lessons. I could see the lightbulb
moment when they understood something. They also started using their reward
points on class games and activities or to have lunch with my mentor teacher and
me in the Google meeting space.
Student Teacher 6 shared, “The students starting coming to class early to show us toys
and things at their house. I think they wanted to talk.” Two participants commented that
students began to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts. Student Teacher 2 explained:
The students became more vocal with their thoughts and opinions. They began to
ask when they needed a brain break. I think the students were also positively
influenced by things I would say. I started noticing that the students were making
positive comments to encourage each other.
Two participants also commented on observing a positive class community developing.
Student Teacher 7 said:
The students had positive attitudes during the lesson. I could see them smiling a
lot, and they didn’t ask if it was time to leave the Google meeting. Many stayed
after class to talk. When I said goodbye on Fridays, the students would say no, I
love school.
Student Teacher 4 shared, “By my last day with the students, they made pictures for me
and just wanted to talk. They told me they missed me already. I think I made an impact
on them, and they had an impact on me.”

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Next, the researcher asked the participants to rate their confidence in developing
positive relationships with students in a distance learning environment, following the
student teaching field experience. Table 7 shows the participants’ responses from highly
confident to not confident. For this question, the responses indicated that all participants
rated themselves as either confident or highly confident in their ability to develop
positive teacher-student relationships with students in a distance learning environment.
Four participants rated themselves as confident, and four rated themselves as highly
confident.
Table 7
Post-Intervention Level of Confidence During Distance Learning
Confidence Level
Highly confident

Self-rating
n=8
4

Confident

4

A little confident

-

Not confident

-

Post-Intervention Observations
The researcher observed the participants as they taught a content-based lesson
mid-way through the application of the intervention. The observed lessons were taught
online using Google Meet. The lessons were to address the content being taught at the
grade level and be aligned to the state standards. The participants were required to design
the instructional plan, sequence, and any activities included in the lesson. The researcher
observed the lesson and collected data on the utilization of strategies for building positive

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teacher-student relationships (Appendix E). The data collected during the intervention
observation is provided in Table 8.
Table 8
Strategy Use During Intervention
Strategy and Actions

Observation two
(during intervention)
ST3 ST4 ST5 ST6
Y
Y
Y
N

ST1
Y

ST2
Y

Encourage Interactions
Share about yourself
Respect students
Incorporate interactive language

Y

Y

N

Y

Y

Get Buy-in
Accentuate student interests
Offer an incentive
Pique students’ curiosity

Y

Y

N

Y

Embrace Clarity
Use fewer words
Frame directions positively
Give clear, simple directions

Y

Y

N

Show Passion
Stay active
Vary voice intentionally
Keep eyes focused on students
Focus on what you want to
happen

Y

Y

Manage Mind-Body States
Reduce lecture time.
Eliminate the “fight, flight, or
freeze” response
Give students more control
Ask compelling questions
Keep students in suspense

N

Y

Positive Attitude
Use affirmations
Employ small engagers
Give yourself permission to make
mistakes

ST7
Y

ST8
Y

N

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

Y

N

N

Y

Y

N

Y

N

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Strategy and Actions
ST1

Observation two
(during intervention)
ST2 ST3 ST4 ST5 ST6
Y

Y

ST7

ST8

Y

Y

Establish a Classroom Community
Form cooperative groups
Get to know you activities
Help students gain social status

Y

Y

Y

Y

Sustain Emotional Positivity
Use emotional
punctuation.
Provide positive
classroom responses
Accentuate the positive
Use variety in your
celebrations

Y

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Teach Positive Social and
Emotional Responses
Model appropriate
responses
Teach responses with fun
activities

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

Y

Y

Note. ST = Student Teacher
The data collected from observation two, during the application of the
intervention indicated participant strengths in seven of the nine strategies, including
having a positive attitude, encouraging interactions, getting buy-in, showing passion,
establishing a classroom community, sustaining emotional positivity, and teaching
positive social and emotional responses. The strategy of establishing a classroom
community was effectively implemented by all eight of the participants. The strategies of
having a positive attitude, sustaining emotional positivity, and teaching positive social
and emotional responses were utilized by seven of the participants. The strategies of
encouraging interactions, getting buy-in, and showing passion were utilized by six of the
participants. The majority of the participants did not demonstrate the use of two of the

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nine strategies, which were embracing clarity, and managing mind-body states. These
strategies were utilized by four of the participants.

The researcher also collected data during observation three. For this observation,
the participants taught a content-based lesson after the application of the intervention.
The observed lessons were taught online using Google Meet. The lessons were to address
the content being taught at the grade level and be aligned to the state standards. The
participants were required to design the instructional plan, sequence, and any activities
included in the lesson. The researcher observed the lesson and collected data on the
utilization of strategies for building positive teacher-student relationships (Appendix E).
The data collected during the post-intervention observation is provided in Table 9.
Table 9
Post-Intervention Strategy Use
Strategy and actions

Observation three
(after intervention)
ST3 ST4 ST5 ST6
Y
Y
Y
Y

ST1
Y

ST2
Y

Encourage Interactions
Share about yourself
Respect students
Incorporate interactive language

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Get Buy-in
Accentuate student interests
Offer an incentive
Pique students’ curiosity

Y

Y

Y

Y

Embrace Clarity
Use fewer words
Frame directions positively
Give clear, simple directions

Y

Y

N

Y

Positive Attitude
Use affirmations
Employ small engagers
Give yourself permission to make
mistakes

ST7
Y

ST8
Y

Y

Y

Y

N

Y

Y

N

Y

Y

N

Y

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Strategy and actions

Observation three
(after intervention)
ST3 ST4 ST5 ST6
Y
Y
Y
Y

ST1
Y

ST2
Y

Manage Mind-Body States
Reduce lecture time.
Eliminate the “fight, flight, or
freeze” response
Give students more control
Ask compelling questions
Keep students in suspense

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Establish a Classroom Community
Form cooperative groups
Get to know you activities
Help students gain social status

Y

Y

Y

Y

Sustain Emotional Positivity
Use emotional punctuation.
Provide positive classroom
responses
Accentuate the positive
Use variety in your celebrations

Y

Y

N

Teach Positive Social and Emotional
Responses
Model appropriate responses
Teach responses with fun
activities

N

Y

N

Show Passion
Stay active
Vary voice intentionally
Keep eyes focused on students
Focus on what you want to
happen

ST7
Y

ST8
Y

N

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

N

Note. ST = Student Teacher
The data collected for observation three, after the application of the intervention,
indicated the participants’ strengths in eight of the nine strategies, including having a
positive attitude, encouraging interactions, getting buy-in, embracing clarity, showing
passion, managing mind-body states, establishing a classroom community, and sustaining
emotional positivity. The strategies for having a positive attitude, encouraging
interactions, showing passion, and establishing a classroom community were

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implemented by all eight of the participants. The strategy of sustaining emotional
positivity was utilized by seven of the participants. The strategies of getting buy-in,
embracing clarity, and sustaining emotional positivity were utilized by six of the
participants. The utilization of the strategy of teaching positive social and emotional
responses was demonstrated by one participant.
Post-Intervention Journal Reflections
The data from the participants’ post-intervention journal reflections indicated
three emerging themes about the development of positive teacher-student relationships in
a distance learning environment. The themes included the value of relationship building,
the impact of developing relationships in a distance learning environment, and the
participants’ perception of their growth. Student Teachers 1 and 7 reflected on the value
of relationship-building in a distance learning environment. Student Teacher 1 said:
I began the semester scared and stressed out. I was excited to be teaching, but
angry about not being physically in the classroom. As the semester went on, I
began to adjust to virtual teaching. I started developing positive relationships with
my students and I got the proper technology to make the lessons go smoothly.
This made everything so much easier and made teaching online enjoyable.
Student Teacher 7 explained:
My most treasured take-away from this experience was the relationships I
developed with my students. I always knew building relationships was important,
but it wasn’t until I observed my mentor teacher, that I could really see how
important. Building relationships with your students, parents, and other staff
members will help you to have a successful school year.

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Student Teachers 3, 4, and 6 reflected on their perceptions of their growth and confidence
while building relationships with students in a distance learning environment. Student
Teacher 3 shared:
When it comes to building relationships with students, it was hard to navigate
while being in a virtual environment. However, incorporating social-emotional
components of learning into the virtual classroom, I started to gain the trust of the
students. It was nice to take a break from teaching material and get to know my
students, and for them to get to know one another. If nothing else, this pandemic
has given me new tools to use in my classroom to touch on emotions and teach
the students how to be social with each other.
Student Teacher 4 stated:
This entire experience from beginning to end was more than I could have ever
imagined. Despite the constant changes with technology while teaching online, I
learned so much not only about being a teacher but also about myself. I feel as
though I have really come into my own as a teacher. I worked hard to get to know
my students and to have them get to know me. I have built great relationships
with them. I have also found my teacher voice and management style.
Student Teacher 6 said:
Building relationships with my students showed them that I am there for them
academically and emotionally. This semester, my students opened up to me about
their interests, struggles, and goals. This helped to build trust between myself and
them. It also showed them that I cared. I now have more confidence in myself and
the content that I am teaching. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to

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teach virtually because it has helped me to strengthen my technological skills and
introduced me to resources I can use if I have to teach online in the future.
Student Teachers 2, 5, and 8 discussed the impact that developing relationships in
a distance learning environment had on their skills as future teachers. Student Teacher 2
stated:
I’ve noticed a wonderful improvement in student engagement when I infuse my
personality into instruction. Stronger relationships with the students are formed
and the students excel academically. This will be important to remember when I
have my own class of students.
Student Teachers 5 and 8 also shared how their perspectives changed. Student Teacher 5
said:
I was very skeptical that anyone could effectively build relationships with
students online. I couldn’t imagine how teachers would be able to build
relationships while engaging students, delivering instruction, and assessing their
learning. My perspective has definitely changed. I found building relationships
with students to be easier than I thought. The key in my opinion is to take
advantage of every opportunity to interact with the students and get to know them
as individuals.
Student Teacher 8 explained:
I am proud of the relationship I built with my students. When I first started
working with the students, I was so focused on academics, I forgot to build
relationships. I learned that building relationships with students helps your lessons
to be more successful and the students are more receptive to learning from you.

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The teacher has to know the students both academically and personally.
Academically, the teacher has to know what scaffolding and supports to provide
for the students to succeed in the classroom. However, the teacher also needs to
be able to make personal connections with the students. It’s hard to personal
connections if there’s no trusting relationship between the teacher and the
students.
Perception Changes from Pre-Intervention to Post-Intervention
The overall changes in the participants’ perceptions from the pre-intervention to
post-intervention were reported as Confident (being rated as highly or somewhat
confident) or Not Confident (being rated as highly unconfident or somewhat
unconfident). Table 10 provides a summary of the participants’ self-ratings of their
confidence in their ability to develop positive relationships with students within a
distance learning environment at the beginning of the study and at the end of the study.
The data indicates the participants’ growth in confidence in their ability to
develop positive relationships in a distance learning environment. At the beginning of the
study, one participant self-reported having confidence in her ability to develop positive
relationships in a distance learning environment. One participant self-reported little
confidence, and six participants self-reported having no confidence in their ability. By the
conclusion of the study, all eight participants self-reported being confident. Four selfreported having high confidence and four self-reporting having high confidence. None of
the participants self-reported a lack of confidence in their ability to develop positive
teacher-student relationships in a distance learning environment.

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Table 10
Level of Confidence Change Before and After Intervention
Confidence level

Pre-intervention

Post-intervention

n=8

n=8

Highly confident

-

4

Confident

1

4

A little confident

1

-

Not confident

6

-

The researcher reported the overall changes in the participants’ observed use of
strategies to build positive teacher-student relationships from the pre-intervention to postintervention by indicating the number of participants observed utilizing the strategies
with students at the beginning of the study as compared to during the intervention and
after the end of the study.
The data provided in Table 11 shows the growth in the participants’ use of
strategies. The data collected during observation one indicated that the participants
implemented four of the nine strategies. The data collected for observation two indicated
that the participants implemented seven of the nine strategies. The data collected for
observation three indicated that the participants implemented eight of the nine strategies.
The majority of the participants did not demonstrate the use of five of the strategies
during observation one and two of the strategies during observation two. During
observation three, the majority of the participants did not demonstrate the use of one of
the nine strategies.

DEVLOPING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS DURING DISTANCE LEARNING
Table 11
Strategy Use Before, During, and After Intervention
Strategy and actions

Observation
1

Observation
2

Observation
3

Positive Attitude
Use affirmations
Employ small engagers
Give yourself permission to make
mistakes

8/8

7/8

8/8

Encourage Interactions
Share about yourself
Respect students
Incorporate interactive language

4/8

5/8

8/8

Get Buy-in
Accentuate student interests
Offer an incentive
Pique students’ curiosity

2/8

6/8

6/8

Embrace Clarity
Use fewer words
Frame directions positively
Give clear, simple directions

4/8

4/8

6/8

Show Passion
Stay active
Vary voice intentionally
Keep eyes focused on students
Focus on what you want to happen

6/8

6/8

8/8

Manage Mind-Body States
Reduce lecture time.
Eliminate the “fight, flight, or freeze”
response
Give students more control
Ask compelling questions
Keep students in suspense

0/8

4/8

6/8

Establish a Classroom Community
Form cooperative groups
Get to know you activities
Help students gain social status

8/8

8/8

8/8

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Observation
1

Observation
2

Observation
3

Sustain Emotional Positivity
Use emotional punctuation.
Provide positive classroom responses
Accentuate the positive
Use variety in your celebrations

4/8

7/8

7/8

Teach Positive Social and Emotional
Responses
Model appropriate responses
Teach responses with fun activities

7/8

7/8

1/8

Strategy and Actions

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Discussion
The researcher designed the study to incorporate the use of a variety of data
sources to support each research question and to triangulate the data for the purpose of
increasing the credibility and validity of the study. The data analysis process, interviews,
lesson observations, and participant journal reflections provided the researcher with
answers to the research questions from different perspectives. In addition to the data
providing answers to the research questions, it also identifies the need to analyze the
preparatory training for preservice teachers. If the data are accurate, the researcher would
anticipate that the preservice teachers will demonstrate the confidence and relationshipbuilding strategies needed to develop and maintain a positive teacher-student relationship
with students during distance learning in the future.
Summary
The data collected answered the research questions posed in the study, including
the ability of the preservice teachers to incorporate strategies to develop positive teacher
and student relationships, identify indicators of an emerging positive teacher-student
relationship, and the impact of distance learning on positive relationships. The data also

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indicates the effectiveness of the applied intervention using a book study, facilitated
discussions, and modeling and applying the use of relationship-building strategies. As a
result of the intervention, the participants learned methods for developing positive
teacher-student relationships and demonstrated growth in their confidence and use of the
strategies when providing instruction in a distance learning environment. Chapter V will
further discuss the data conclusions and implications.

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CHAPTER V
Conclusions and Recommendations
This action research study was conducted with the intent of improving the ability
of preservice teachers to develop supportive relationships with students during distance
learning. This chapter will provide an overview of the study results in relation to the
research questions and the data collected. There will also be a discussion on the
limitations of the study, the future implications for teacher preparation programs, and
recommendations for future research. The results of this study are needed to enhance the
current instructional programming for teacher preparation programs as K-12 schools
provide instruction through both hybrid and distance learning during the COVID-19
pandemic.
Conclusions
In an effort to answer the research study questions, the researcher implemented a
mixed-methods process of data collection to identify the participants’ perceptions of the
importance of relationship-building with students during distance learning. Components
related to the participants’ opinions, application, and growth in building relationships
with students were examined. The conclusions of the study were determined based on the
data collected and framed to address the research questions.
Research Question 1
How do preservice teachers perceive the importance of relationship-building strategies
when delivering instruction in a distance learning environment?
The data suggest that preservice teachers were able to identify the critical role

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of the teacher for the development of positive teacher-student relationships. This finding
was based on observational data on the specific strategies preservice teachers
implemented when delivering instruction in a distance learning environment. All
participants commented on the importance of having a supportive classroom environment
and establishing positive relationships with students. They shared how positive
relationships can be created by having conversations with students and demonstrating a
willingness to listen. The participants also expressed their understanding that positive
teacher-student relationships have a long-term impact on the students’ enjoyment of
school and excitement for learning. In addition to understanding the importance of
positive teacher-student relationships, the participants noted the development of positive
relationships as the main responsibility of the teacher. The participant’s perception of the
importance of having a positive relationship with students was confirmed by their
comments about the impact on the classroom when a positive environment and
connections are not present.
Before the application of the intervention, only half of the participants felt
confident in their ability to develop positive relationships with students. The participants’
confidence levels were based on their prior experience interacting and making
connections with students. The participants who did not feel confident in developing
positive relationships with students commented on their lack of experience in knowing
how to get students to talk and share their thoughts. The lack of confidence could also be
attributed to the participants’ lack of experience in an urban school setting and the
differences between the teacher and student demographics.

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When the participants self-reported their confidence in their ability to develop
positive relationships with students when providing instruction in a distance learning
environment, the data showed that the majority of the preservice teachers felt little to no
confidence. Their lack of confidence in developing positive relationships with students
during online instruction was due to their discomfort with technology and their lack of
experience observing how teachers learn about student interests and connect with them
while teaching online. The participants who expressed feelings of confidence in their
ability to develop positive teacher-student relationships during distance learning
commented on having more experiences with children and being comfortable using
technology.
At the beginning of the study, the participants expressed feeling anxious and
concerned about developing positive teacher-student relationships. By the end of the
study, those feelings changed as the participants observed their mentor teachers model
how to create positive relationships with students and the emerging classroom culture.
The participants were observed taking the time to get to know the students as individuals,
sharing about themselves, scaffolding instruction and supports, infusing their personality
into their teaching, and making connections with the students. The participants also
identified a change in their perception of their ability to foster positive teacher-student
relationships and their knowledge of the effective use of technology to foster positive
teacher-student relationships. After the study, the participants indicated that teaching in a
distance learning environment became more manageable and enjoyable.
The participants were asked to rank their confidence in developing positive
relationships with students in a distance learning environment after the application of the

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intervention. The data further supported a change in the participants’ confidence in
developing positive relationships in a distance learning environment. While six of the
participants felt little to no confidence developing positive student-teacher relationships
in a distance learning environment at the beginning of the study, after the intervention
was applied, all the participants ranked themselves as being confident or highly confident
in their ability.
Research Question 2
What do preservice teachers perceive as indicators of emerging positive teacher-student
relationships during distance learning?
The participants identified both verbal and non-verbal indicators of positive
teacher-student relationships emerging within the distance learning environment. The
indicators included an increase in interactive dialogue as the students began to
acknowledge the preservice teacher by greeting them at the beginning and end of the
class session. The preservice teachers shared how they could see the students smiling,
laughing, and making facial expressions in response to class discussions and interactions.
The participants also indicated that the students began to share commonalities with the
preservice teacher and the other students in the class as they made personal connections
and learned more about each other. The participants identified another indicator of the
emerging positive relationships occurred when the students became more vocal and
willing to engage in conversations and share their work.
The study participants also shared strategies they observed or used during the
application of the intervention to encourage positive teacher-student relationships during
distance learning. The strategies included making personal connections and positive

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comments to the students, providing time before and after class for students to interact
with the mentor and preservice teacher. Other strategies implemented included providing
time for discussions during morning meetings, allowing students to interact with each
other, and using humor to alleviate stressful situations.
After the application of the intervention, the participants identified additional
indicators of the positive relationships that had emerged within the distance learning
environment. The majority of the participants shared how the students started coming to
class early and staying later to talk and share important items from home. The
participants indicated that the students also became more comfortable sharing their
thoughts and needs. For example, the students started to express when they needed a
brain break, or when they were confused or thought the work was too easy. The students’
positive attitude and encouragement of one another were also noted by the preservice
teachers.
Research Question 3
Does distance learning impact the development of positive classroom relationships
between the preservice teacher and students?
The data indicated that the participants demonstrated the ability to develop
positive classroom environment and relationship with students in the distance learning
environment. Prior to learning the strategies for building positive teacher-student
relationships, the participants implemented three of the nine strategies relationshipbuilding strategies. These strategies included showing passion, establishing a classroom
community, and teaching positive social and emotional responses. The participants

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demonstrated these strategies as they taught the expected classroom behaviors and
modeled appropriate interactions.
The book study and discussion provided during the intervention played a
significant role in the participants’ knowledge and application of the relationship-building
strategies. During the intervention phase, the participants were taught the nine strategies
for building positive teacher-student relationships. They learned the components of each
strategy and how the strategies could be applied across grade levels. The participants
engaged in professional learning discussions on how to incorporate the strategies within
their classroom instruction. The strategy discussions were interactive, with the
participants sharing their understanding of the importance of the strategies and
suggestions for how to effectively incorporate the strategies into their lessons. The
participants also became a community of learners during the intervention phase, where
they discussed adaptations to the strategies that they could make based on their grade
level and the instructional level of the students in their class. The evidence of the
application of the strategies was demonstrated in the participants’ lesson plans, where
they documented the strategy they planned to implement. By incorporating the strategy
into the instructional plans, the participants were deliberate in their application of the
strategies, as evidenced in the lesson observation.
During lesson observations, the participants consistently implemented six of the
nine relationship-building strategies. In addition to the strategies observed prior to the
intervention, the participants were incorporating the use of the strategies of modeling a
positive attitude, getting buy-in, and sustaining emotional positivity. These strategies
were observed as the participants interacted with students and taught lessons. By the end

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of the study, the participants were observed consistently implementing eight of the nine
strategies, including modeling a positive attitude, encouraging interactions, getting buyin, embracing clarity, showing passion, managing mind-body states, establishing a
classroom community, and sustaining emotional positivity.
At the end of the study, the only strategy not utilized by the participants was
teaching positive social and emotional responses. While the strategy was not observed
during the final classroom observations, the effect of the strategy was observed in the
interactions between the preservice teachers and the students, indicating that the strategy
had been established. The strategy was observed being utilized by one participant as she
reviewed the classroom procedures for two students who were new to her classroom.
In several instances, the preservice teacher’s confidence in establishing positive
relationships with students while teaching in a distance learning environment changed.
The participants went from lacking the confidence to develop positive relationships to
having a high level of confidence in their ability. After the participants built connections
with the students and became more comfortable using technology to engage with them,
their confidence grew.
The preservice teachers’ use of relationship-building strategies also increased
throughout the study. At the beginning of the study, three of the nine strategies for
relationship building were implemented during non-instructional segments of the school
day. However, as the preservice teachers became responsible for planning and delivering
content, their strategy use was adjusted to support and enhance the academic rigor of the
classroom. By the end of the study, the participants had implemented all nine of the
strategies for relationship building to communicate classroom expectations, model

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appropriate behaviors, engage students in instruction, and establish a positive and
respectful classroom environment. This resulted in a shift in the participants’ perception
of the need for a positive classroom environment. The participants shifted from a basic
desire for students to be happy and like being at school, to a deeper appreciation for
classroom engagement and positive interactions between the teacher and students.
Overall, the researcher determined that the study had a positive effect on the participants’
understanding of the need for relationship building, the use of specific strategies to build
positive classroom relationships, and their confidence in applying the strategies in a
distance learning environment.
Application for Teacher Preparation Programs
The conclusions drawn from this action-research study have practical applications
for teacher preparation programs. The positive outcome of the study justifies the
continued use of the professional development resources and interventions implemented
during the student teaching field experience with future preservice teachers. However, the
application of the intervention with future preservice teachers should include adaptations
to support instruction provided during both in-person and distance learning instruction
and include professional development offerings related to relationship-building strategies
for targeted student groups. These offerings should address incorporating the
relationship-building strategies with students with specific social, emotional, and
language needs, including learning support students and English language learners in a
variety of instructional settings, including in-person, distance, and hybrid instruction.
Curricular considerations for teacher preparation programs should include
instruction on effective technology tools to engage students during distance learning.

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Technology usage should also be integrated into the teacher preparation courses to
provide preservice teachers with ongoing instruction, modeling, and application of
technology within the instructional setting to enhance student engagement and
instruction.
Fiscal Implications
The implementation cost for this study included mentor teacher stipends and
professional development text for the preservice teachers. Future studies should factor in
additional targeted professional development resources and technology access for
preservice teachers. Professional development resources should focus on teaching
additional strategies for relationship-building and best practices for creating a supportive
classroom environment for targeted student populations, including learning support
students, English language learners, and students of poverty. Enhanced technology
offerings should include access to technology devices, high-speed internet, and digital
learning tools and applications that can be used in a distance learning field experience.
Limitations
This study yielded important information pertaining to the need for teacherstudent relationships, the indicators of emerging positive classroom culture, and the
ability to establish positive relationships while teaching in a distance learning
environment. However, the study findings may have some limitations due to the impact
of the following external factors. First, the researcher had limited access to unscheduled
instructional sessions to gather data. The observational data were collected during
scheduled lessons. As a result, the researcher was unable to observe the informal
interactions between the preservice teachers and students during the non-instructional

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times. The ability to observe the preservice teachers during the non-instructional times
would have enabled the researcher to monitor both the development of the relationships
between the preservice teachers and the students and their interactions in a natural setting.
All preservice teachers in the cohort received the intervention; however, data was
only collected on eight of the sixteen preservice teachers in the cohort. Because all cohort
members received the intervention and discussed applications of the strategies in both
formal and informal settings, results reported here cannot rule out the influence of cohort
interactions outside of the study as a confounding variable. This limits the ability to
confidently state that participant growth was strictly a result of the intervention.
Another factor that may have impacted the findings of the study was the timing of
the mandate from the State and local school district that all instruction be delivered online
in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This mandate was communicated during the
summer, before the start of the school year. Due to the timing, the preservice teachers
felt unprepared to provide distance instruction. This created uncertainty and confusion for
the mentor and preservice teachers. As a result, some study participants experienced
stress and anxiety at the beginning of the study, which may have impacted their initial
self-reporting of their confidence to develop positive relationships when teaching in a
distance learning environment.
The lack of flexibility in determining the use of instructional time was another
factor that may have impacted the findings of the study. The participating school district
determined the mode of instruction and the teaching schedule for the classes. The
preservice teachers and the mentor teachers were not permitted to make modifications to
the allocation and structure of the instructional time. This may have impacted the

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preservice teachers’ ability to provide additional time to facilitate rapport activities,
respond to the social-emotional needs of the students, and may have limited the specific
relationship-building strategies that were implemented.
The participants’ access to technology resources and tools was another
limitation of the study. The participants were required to provide their own technology
devices, including laptop computers and high-speed internet connection. Some
participant devices were unstable, which caused them to lose the internet connection,
video, or sound during the instructional sessions. At the beginning of the study, the
participants worked through a variety of technical issues that may have influenced their
initial self-assessment of their confidence in teaching in a distance learning environment.
It is important to note that this factor was addressed when the participants were offered
an internet hotspot to ensure access to a high-speed internet connection.
It is also important to note that this study was conducted with White preservice
teachers in an urban school setting, limiting generalizability to other populations and
settings.
Recommendations for Future Research
Through this action research project, the researcher collected valuable data on the
development of positive teacher-student relationships in a distance learning environment
by observing preservice teachers’ use of relationship-building strategies (Appendix E).
The data collected can be used to inform professional development topics for school
districts and course offerings for teacher preparation programs.
Data gathered through the use of the observation rubric showed that positive
teacher-student relationships were achieved by implementing the relationship-building

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strategies within the distance learning classroom setting with this population. As such,
future research should investigate the effectiveness to other populations and in other
setting. When full in-person instruction returns, the goal should be to transfer the skills
learned from distance learning, into the classroom setting. Future research should
investigate the maintenance of relationship-building strategies after resuming face-to-face
instruction to determine if the strategies are sustained over time and successfully
transferred from the distance learning environment into the in-person classroom setting.
Future research should also investigate if the preservice teachers can self-sustain their use
of the relationship-building strategies by utilizing the observation rubric for planning,
self-reflection and monitoring.
During the pre-intervention and post-intervention interviews, the preservice
teachers identified the ability to meet the needs of learning support and English language
learners during distance learning, as an area of concern. Future research should be
conducted to examine the impact of the development of teacher-student relationships on
student academic growth, SEL learning, and how diversity, poverty, and ELL status
impacts that growth. Exploring strategies for relationship building for these student
populations will provide school districts and teacher preparation programs with valuable
information to inform teacher practice and improve student growth and achievement.
The findings from this study related to relationship-building at the elementary
level during distance learning should be applied to other instructional levels in the K-12
setting. Future research should explore the use of relationship-building strategies within a
distance learning environment at the middle or high school level, the training needed for
teachers, and the impact on the overall growth and achievement of students.

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Summary
This research study provides compelling evidence to support the notion that
focused instruction on relationship-building strategies improves the confidence and
ability of preservice teachers to develop and maintain positive relationships within a
distance learning classroom environment. As the mode of instruction within the public
school setting has become multi-faceted to include in-person instruction, distance
learning, or a hybrid of both, the ability to develop positive relationships with students is
needed now more than ever. It is imperative that preservice teachers have the knowledge
and training to develop positive relationships with students in multiple and varied
instructional settings. While this study was specific to the preservice teachers who
participated in the study, teacher preparation courses and school districts may benefit
from the data collected, observation form, and semi-structured interview questions to
improve or implement their professional development plan. This study makes a
significant contribution to the body of literature related to the development of positive
teacher-student relationships in the distance learning school environment and serves as a
catalyst for future research.

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107

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APPENDICES

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Appendix A
IRB Approval
Institutional Review Board
California University of Pennsylvania
Morgan Hall, 310
250 University Avenue
California, PA 15419
instreviewboard@calu.edu
Melissa Sovak, Ph.D.

Dear Lynette,
Please consider this email as official notification that your proposal titled
“Creating a Supportive Classroom Environment” (Proposal #19-084) has been
approved by the California University of Pennsylvania Institutional Review Board
as submitted.
The effective date of approval is 9/16/20 and the expiration date is 9/15/21. These
dates must appear on the consent form.
Please note that Federal Policy requires that you notify the IRB promptly
regarding any of the following:
(1) Any additions or changes in procedures you might wish for your study
(additions or changes must be approved by the IRB before they are implemented)
(2) Any events that affect the safety or well-being of subjects
(3) Any modifications of your study or other responses that are necessitated by
any events reported in (2).
(4) To continue your research beyond the approval expiration date of 9/15/21 you
must file additional information to be considered for continuing review. Please
contact instreviewboard@calu.edu
Please notify the Board when data collection is complete.
Regards,
Melissa Sovak, PhD.
Chair, Institutional Review Board

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Appendix B
Participant Informed Consent Form
Dear Preservice Teacher,
You are being asked to participate in a research study on the perceptions of preservice
teachers regarding the skills necessary to establish, develop and maintain positive
relationships through a welcoming classroom environment in a distance learning
environment. Your participation in this study will help the researcher learn more about
the instructional practices that support the development of positive student and teacher
relationships, the extent to which preservice teachers naturally incorporate these practices
into their delivery of instruction, and their ability to recognize when adjustments need to
be made to maintain a positive student and teacher relationship.
What will I be asked to do if I take part in this study?
If you agree to participate in this study, you will be asked to participate in two study
interviews (pre- and post-). The pre- and post-study interviews will ask you questions
about your background and experience with building positive student and teacher
relationships in the elementary school setting.
Where will this study take place?
The pre- and post- study Interviews will occur using an online platform (Zoom).
How long will the study last?
The study is projected to last approximately 16 weeks, which includes a pre- and postinterviews, and observations. The pre- and post-interviews may take up to 30 minutes
each or 60 minutes total to complete. Total participation time will vary.
What happens if I don’t want to participate?
Participation in this study is completely voluntary. You have the right to say no.
Participation in this study will not affect you in any way. If you decide to participate in
the study, you may change your mind at any time and withdraw. There are no
consequences to you for withdrawing from the study.
Can I quit the study before it ends?
You can withdraw from the study at any time by notifying the researcher. There will be
no penalty should you choose to withdraw. The researcher will not ask you why you
opted to withdraw.
What are the risks?
There are minimal risks to participants of this study. Participants will not be asked any
demographic questions or questions of a sensitive nature. The interview questions,
observations, and self-reflections will be used to gauge your experiential growth during
the study. Participants may choose not to answer any questions of which they choose.
Participants may also choose end their participation in the study at any time without
question.

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How will I benefit from participating?
Your participation in the this study will assist the researcher in understanding the
instructional practices that support the development of positive student and teacher
relationships in a distance learning environment, the extent to which preservice teachers
naturally incorporate these practices into their delivery of instruction, and the strategies
utilized to maintain a positive student and teacher relationship. As a result, you will gain
experience in establishing, developing and maintaining positive relationships with your
students and how to create a classroom environment where students feel a sense of
belonging and connectedness.
Will my responses be kept confidential and private?
The interview responses and data collected will be kept confidential. Only the researcher
will see or have access to the data. No names will be reported in the report of the
findings. All data will be stored on a secure server and password-protected laptop.
Who do I contact if I have questions about this study?
If you have questions about this study, please contact the researcher, Lynette Waller, at
wal2687@calu.edu or at 717-381-1023. If you would like to speak with someone other
than the researcher, please contact Dr. Mary Wolf, Assistant Professor at California
University of Pennsylvania, at wolf@calu.edu.
By signing below, I agree to participate in this study. By doing so, I am indicating that
1) I am at least 18 years old; 2) I have read and understand the information given in this
form; 3) I have asked any questions I have about the research and the questions have been
answered to my satisfaction; and 4) I accept the terms in the form and volunteer
to participate in the study. I understand that it is my choice to participate and I can stop
at any time.
Signature:
________________________________________________________________________
Date:
________________________________________________________________________
Approved by the California University of Pennsylvania Institutional Review Board. This
approval is effective 09/16/20 and expires 05/10/21.

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Appendix C
Pre-Intervention Interview Questions
1. Describe your classroom teaching experience prior to this school year and the
populations with whom you have interacted in an elementary classroom
environment?
2. Do you believe a positive classroom environment and creating warm relationships
is important? If so, why?
3. How do think a positive classroom learning environment is created?
Provide a working definition of teacher and student relationships prior to asking the
remaining questions.
4. Please provide examples of positive teacher and student relationships you have
observed in the elementary school setting.
5. What strategies have you observed teachers using when developing student to
student and teacher to student relationships?
6. Did the strategies observed support the development of positive relationships?
How do you know?
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest):
7. How confident are you in your ability to develop a positive teacher-student
relationships between yourself and the students in a distance learning
environment?
8. How confident are you that you will develop positive teacher-student
relationships in a distance learning environment?

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Appendix D
Post-Intervention Interview Questions
1. How is distance learning being delivered in your school setting?
2. Please describe the students in you class or instructional group?
3. Do you believe a positive classroom environment and creating warm relationships
is important? If so, why?
4. How do think a positive classroom learning environment is created?
Provide a working definition of teacher and student relationships prior to asking the
remaining questions.
5. What strategies have you observed teachers use when developing student to
student and teacher to student relationships?
6. Did the strategies observed support the development of positive relationships?
How do you know?
7. What strategies for developing teacher-student relationships have you had
experience implementing in the classroom?
8. Did the strategies you implemented support the development of positive
relationships? How do you know?
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest):
9. How confident are you in your ability to develop a positive teacher-student
relationships between yourself and the students in a distance learning
environment?
10. How confident are you developed positive teacher-student relationships in a
distance learning environment during your student teaching practicum?

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Appendix E
Observation Rubric
Strategy
1. Upgrade your attitude

2. Encourage Interactions

3. Get buy-in

4. Embrace clarity

5. Show your passion

Actions
1. Use affirmations
___Post positive reinforcements
___Give students positive praise
2. Employ occasional small engagers
___Stand and stretch
___Pair students for small tasks
3. Give yourself permission to fail
___Make a backup plan for failure
___Note what worked and didn’t
___Forgive mistakes
___Strategize to correct errors
1. Share about yourself every day
___Family, dreams everyday life
___Find out about students every day
2. Respect students
___Never disparage or criticize a student’s culture or background
___Integrate culture & social capital into goals (ex. make all voices heard)
3. Upgrade interactive language
___Make eye contact with students
___Use language you want to hear
___Thank students for contributing
1. Accentuate student interests
2. Offer an incentive
3. Pique students’ curiosity
___Use mystery objects
___ Unusual props or secrets
___Class competition
1. Use fewer words
___Find a metaphor or analogy
___ Use body language and gestures
___ Move around the room when content needs new reference point
___Use visuals and manipulatives
2. Frame directions in positive.
___Identify the desired behavior
3. Give clear, simple directions
___Be concrete, use clear language
1. Stay active
___Move around room and gesture
2. Vary voice intentionally
___Use unpredictable voice fluctuation
___Pause
3. Keep eyes focused on students
___Make eye contact
___Be positive
4. Focus on what you want to happen
___Believe in your message
___Use positive self-talk to stay relaxed and focused

DEVLOPING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS DURING DISTANCE LEARNING
6. Manage Mind-Body States

7. Establish a Classroom
Community

8. Sustain Emotional
Positivity

9. Teach Positive Social and
Emotional Responses

135

1. Reduce lecture time.
__Limit lecture time
2. Eliminate the “fight, flight, or freeze” response
___Emotionally safe environment:
___Never use sarcasm or put downs
___If you make a mistake, apologize to the student after class
3. Give students more control
___Encourage them to have a more vested interest in class by broadening
role
___Involve them in decision making
4.Ask more compelling questions
5. Keep students in suspense
1. Adopt the Parent Role in your class
___Learn students strengths or unique talents
___Always smile to all and use personal courtesies like “please,” “thank
you,” and “pardon me”
2. Form cooperative groups
___choose roles and team names, etc.
___Switch up every four to six weeks
3. Create the class glue with get to know you activities
___Use sentence stems to get to know each other such as: One thing my
neighbor likes to do is…, My neighbor owns a….
4. Help students gain social status.
___Read a powerful composition they’ve written in front of their peers
___Come up with award to students for exemplifying qualities like:
creativity, enthusiasm, leadership.
1. Use emotional punctuation.
2. Provide positive classroom responses: “Thank you for jumping in!”
___ Say “yes” as much as possible!
3. Accentuate the positive
4. Use variety in your clapping celebrations
1. Model appropriate responses: Teach them what you want their behavior
to be in one on one sessions…”Let me show you what I was looking and
listening for”
2. Teach responses with fun activities
___i.e. Video clips depicting various behaviors of kids to identify and
analyze the behaviors

(adapted from Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind by Eric Jenson)