Teacher-Student Relationship Quality and Its Association with Psychological Health, Self-Esteem, and Academic Achievement in Government and Private CBSE Schools of Kota Division

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between teacher-student relationship (TSR) quality and three student outcomes — psychological health, self-esteem, and academic achievement — among Classes IX–XII CBSE students in government and private schools of Kota Division, Rajasthan, a region distinguished by its intensive competitive-coaching culture. Using an ex post facto correlational-comparative design, data were drawn from 400 students (200 government, 200 privates; 10 schools), with TSR rated by two subject teachers per student on the student-Teacher Relationship Scale (Pianta, 2001), psychological health assessed with the General Health Questionnaire-28 (Goldberg & Hillier, 1979), self-esteem with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965), and academic achievement from official school records. Nine hypotheses were tested: six examined TSR’s association with each outcome separately within government and private schools, and three compared the two school types on each outcome. TSR quality was significantly associated with better psychological health, higher self-esteem, and stronger academic achievement in both school types, with the Conflict dimension emerging as the most consistent correlate across outcomes. Government school students reported significantly better psychological health and self-esteem than private school students, while academic achievement did not differ significantly by school type. Multiple regression confirmed the unique predictive contribution of Closeness and Conflict, over Dependency, across all three outcomes. Findings support relational pedagogy as a lever for student well-being and achievement in high-pressure educational settings and carry implications for teacher training and school counselling provision.

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