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|b Students and teachers spend countless hours together every week. Factors affecting this must be investigated to maximise learning and encourage a successful and effective learning environment. Student-teacher relationships are one of the most influential factors in the classroom environment, thus must be explored, using theory to contextualise findings and literature to provide prior knowledge. This small-scale research project aims to comprehend how student-teacher relationships are perceived by both students and teachers, as well as how this affects the learning environment. To offer teachers strategies to use to create a positive environment and achieve the desired results. Four teachers participated in semi-structured interviews and two focus groups comprising of four Year 11 students and three Year 9 students. Thematic analysis was used to code and interpret data. The study's findings demonstrated that student-teacher relationships were highly valued by both students and teachers and that understanding, approachability, and honesty are crucial traits of effective teachers. Listening to and conversing with students, being fair, reflecting and using humour are seen as some of the most effective strategies. These have an impact on pupils both inside the classroom, where they increase work rate, learning, progress, motivation, and behaviour, as well as outside the classroom, where they raise self-esteem and prepare them for post-16. The significance of these findings demonstrates the importance of prioritising positive student-teacher relationships with regards to positive student outcomes. Additionally, these findings provide helpful strategies for prospective and current teachers to adopt to improve their practice.
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