School Culture, Teacher Regard, And Academic Aspirations Among Middle School Students

Abstract

Middle school students perform well academically when their schooling environment meets their developmental needs (Eccles et al., 1993). Both school culture and student-teacher relationships are influential aspects of the school environment that impact academic expectations, school satisfaction, and academic performance. In the current study, we examined the relationship between perceptions of academic culture within a school, teacher regard, and academic aspirations among middle school students (N = 1,376). Results showed a significant mediation of teacher regard on the relationship between academic culture and academic aspirations. Both perception of school culture and perception of student-teacher relationships are relevant factors when considering middle school students’ academic aspirations. Implications for teacher education and teacher development programs are discussed.