The Benefits of Supportive Favourite Teachers and Best Friends: A Bayesian Approach on At-Risk Students

Abstract

Guided by the Self-Determination Theory we examined in what way school engagement of young adolescents, who were at risk for school failure, was supported by primary social actors that fulfilled students’ basic intrinsic needs at home and at school. Students’ self-perceptions of social support from their mother, favourite teacher, and best friend were measured. As relationships with non-parental adults and peers become more meaningful in the developmental transition from late childhood to early adolescence (Furman & Buhrmester, 1992; Gaertner, Fite, & Colder, 2010), we examined whether social support from students’ favourite teacher and best friend could compensate for relatively low social support from their mother. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with Bayesian estimators revealed that, as predicted, students’ best friend seemed of great importance to at-risk students’ behavioural school engagement. Students’ favourite teachers added slightly to the effect of social support from the mother whereas best friends compensated somewhat the relatively low effect of social support from the mother on behavioural school engagement