Social Relations within the School and Home Environment: The Impact on Student Health and Achievement (David Farrugia)

Abstract

The scope of this article is to draw on some of the research studies that demonstrate to what extent the type and level of social relations affect student achievement and well-being. Social relations may vary in nature from interpersonal to intrapersonal, among peers or with educators in the school social setting, as well as in the immediate circle of internal family relationships. Teachers have a significant impact on the academic achievement and well-being of students, so much so that the nature of a teacher-student relationship may be critical in determining whether a student perceives early school leaving intentions (Bergeron, Chouinard & Janosz, 2011). The level of parental involvement may also play a role in affecting academic achievement. Distressful relationships trigger a physiological response that might have a long-term negative impact on the condition of one’s health during adulthood (Kim, 2021). Similarly, going through traumatic experiences during childhood and adolescence tends to lower and impoverish the social capital and experiences in the future, as in healthy marriages, friendships and perceived meaning of life (Kim, 2021). In addition, a number of students with special educational needs (SEN) find it harder to go beyond mere physical inclusion in the classroom. For this reason, this article will put forward some recommendations based on research studies that will help to guide future direction in this area, effectively aiming to improve the social-relational safety at school and at home.

The full article can be found here.