The impact of a positive teacher-student relationship with Judaic studies teachers on the religious observance and spiritual connection of Modern Orthodox adolescents during their time in high school

Abstract

Many studies have shown the impact Judaic studies teachers have on their students. However, those studies focused on the experiences of students in their post-high school gap years or reflections of young adults on their high school years. This study focused on the impact of the teacher-student relationship on the religious observance and spiritual connection of Modern Orthodox high school students during their time in high school. By gauging students’ perceptions of their relationship with teachers while still in high school, one can more accurately measure the impact that relationship, in and of itself, has on their religious and spiritual life. This study was a secondary analysis of a quantitative study of 1,341 students from Modern Orthodox high schools. The students came from eighteen different schools and had a strong representation from all four grades. A regression model was used to analyze the relationship between a positive teacher-student relationship and the student’s self-reported religious observance and spiritual connection. A positive teacher-student relationship was found to significantly predict overall religious observance (R2=.19) and spiritual connection (R2=.12). Gender was not found to be a mediator between a positive teacher-student relationship and the student’s religious observance and spiritual connection. However, parental religious observance was considered to be a partial mediator between a positive teacher-student relationship and the student's religious observance and spiritual connection. These results demonstrate the significant importance that the teacher-student relationship plays on the religious and spiritual life of their students and should encourage schools to prioritize teachers who develop positive relationships with students and build time into the school day to foster those relationships.