Contemporary Educational Psychology 26, 431–453 (2001) doi:10.1006/ceps.2000.1068, available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on The Quality and Impact of Relationships between Elementary School Students and Teachers Heather A. Davis Department of Educational Psychology, University of Georgia Published online July 13, 2001 The purpose of the present study was to begin to examine, from the expectancy- value framework, several cognitive and motivational variables believed to affect the development of the student/teacher relationship and, in turn, classroom success. Guided by the expectancy-value framework, three student variables are viewed as essential in guiding the success of the student/teacher relationship: (1) their social self-concept beliefs, (2) the value they place on developing a positive relationship with their primary teacher, and (3) their nonverbal communication skills. Eighty-two fourth- and fifth-grade students participated in the study. Variation in the students’ perceptions of the quality of their relationship with their primary teacher and their classroom achievement were examined. In general, results suggest students develop schemas, their social self-concept beliefs, about their relationships with teachers that are consistent with their nonverbal communication skills. Furthermore, results suggest that for both positive perceptions of the relationship and academic achieve- ment, valuing the relationship with the primary teacher may compensate for nonver- bal difficulties.  2001 Academic Press Education is fundamentally interpersonal in nature (Goodenow, 1992; Wentzel, 1991; Ryan, Connell, & Deci, 1985; Minuchin & Shapiro, 1983). School represents a unique system in which children are asked to accomplish multiple intellectual and social tasks. Within this system, the relationship that develops between a student and teacher can be a powerful motivator. This is particularly true of elementary school students, whose physical con- text is still the self-contained classroom and where they may spend up to 6 h a day interacting with a single teacher (Minuchin & Shapiro, 1983). For the elementary school student, the teacher wears many hats such as friend, protector, mentor, disciplinarian, and gatekeeper to academic success. A pos- I thank Paul Schutz, Martha Carr, Steve Olejnik, and Steve Nowicki for their insight and support throughout the project as well as Claire Hamilton, Michele Lease, and the reviewers for their helpful comments during the preparation of this article. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Heather A. Davis, Department of Educa- tional Psychology, 325 Aderhold Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-7143. Fax: (706) 542-4240. E-mail: hdavis@coe.uga.edu. 431 0361-476X/01 $35.00 Copyright  2001 by Academic Press All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.