The longitudinal impact of perceptions of teacher support on measures of academic competence and school grades in Czech Youth

The current investigation tested the extent to which perceived teacher support longitudinally predicted teacher-rated academic success as well as official school grades. In addition, it also tested the extent to which longitudinal, bidirectional relationships existed between developmental changes in students’ perceptions of teacher support and the two measures of academic success. Data were collected as part of the Brno Longitudinal Study of Youth (BLSY) and included 582 Czech early adolescents assessed across four time points, six months apart. Teacher-rated academic competence was measured at each assessment, while official school grades only at Times 2 and 4. Results provided evidence that Time 1 perceived teacher support positively predicted Time 2, 3, and 4 teacher-rated academic competence as well as official grades only at Time 2. In addition, cross-lagged path models provided some evidence of reciprocal developmental relationships: Specifically, developmental changes in Time 3 academic competence significantly predicted developmental changes in Time 4 perceived teacher support. However, developmental changes in Time 2 official school grades did not predict developmental changes in Time 3 perceived teacher support. Study findings support the importance of relatedness in fostering academic motivation and success as well as vice versa, even short-term, given the six-month time intervals between assessments.