Title

Learner-Centered Teacher-Student Relationships Are Effective: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Person-centered education is a counseling-originated, educational psychology model, overripe for meta-analysis, that posits that positive teacher-student relationships are associated with optimal, holistic learning. It includes classical, humanistic education and today's constructivist learner-centered model. The author reviewed about 1,000 articles to synthesize 119 studies from 1948 to 2004 with 1,450 findings and 355,325 students. The meta-analysis design followed Mackay, Barkham, Rees, and Stiles's guidelines, including comprehensive search mechanisms, accuracy and bias control, and primary study validity assessment. Variables coded included 9 independent and 18 dependent variables and 39 moderators. The results showed that correlations had wide variation. Mean correlations (r= .31) were above average compared with other educational innovations for cognitive and especially affective and behavioral outcomes. Methodological and sample features accounted for some of the variability.

Department(s)

Counseling, Leadership, and Special Education

Document Type

Article

DOI

https://doi.org/10.3102/003465430298563

Keywords

person centered, learner centered, instructional relationships, meta-analysis, constructivist, humanistic

Publication Date

2007

Journal Title

Review of Educational Research

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