Real-time teacher-student interactions: The dynamic interplay between need supportive teaching and student engagement over the course of one school year

Abstract

This study explored the relation between need supportive teaching and early adolescents’ engagement in moment-to-moment interactions and the development of interactional patterns over time. A single case study was conducted on one teacher and her eighth grade classroom, using classroom video observations evenly spread over the course of one school year. Multilevel and State Space Grid analyses showed that what the teacher did (in terms of supporting feelings of autonomy, competence and relatedness) when interacting with her students mattered immediately for their engagement. Further, specific structural patterns of teacher-student interaction were found, both within lessons and over time.