BECE. Newsletter 

Vol.18, No.1, 2024, BECE 1897 

 

 

 

 

The Association between Teacher-Student Relation-

ships and Aggressive Behavior of Primary School 

Students: The Roles of Student Self-Esteem and  

Parent-Child Cohesion 

By Yu, B., Guo, C., Miao, H., & Peng, Y. 
Correspondence to: Cheng Guo, Southwest University, China. E-mail: 

guochen@swu.edu.cn  

RIMARY education is a crucial stage for developing desirable moral 

character and preventing misconduct, such as aggressive behavior, in 

children. Based on a questionnaire survey of more than 5,000 primary school 

students, this article aims to examine the relation between teacher-student re-

lationships and aggressive behavior of primary school students, as well as the 

roles of student self-esteem and parent-child cohesion in this relation. Rec-

ommendations for prevention and intervention of aggressive behavior in pu-

pils are also suggested. 

Research Findings: 

 Desirable teacher-student relationships can help inhibit aggressive be-

havior in primary school students. 

 Better teacher-student relationships predict higher levels of self-esteem 

in pupils, which contributes to alleviating their aggressive behavior. 

 Higher degrees of parent-child cohesion are related to closer teacher-

student relationships, which helps prevent aggressive behavior in pupils. 

 Strong parent-child cohesion and good teacher-student relationships 

correlate with increased levels of self-esteem and lower incidence of 

aggressive behavior in pupils. 

Recommendations proposed by the authors include: 

 The teacher should provide more support and concerns to students to 

foster and maintain good relations with them. 

 Parents give better play to the protective role of close parent-child rela-

tions, raising the quality of parent-child relationships. 

 The teacher and parents pay attention to boosting students’ self-esteem. 

 The school and parents strengthen school-home co-education to support 

healthy growth of the children. 

 
Source: Psychological Development and Education, 2024; 41(1):99-108. 

P 

mailto:guochen@swu.edu.cn