Project PRISMA
Putting Dyadic Teacher-Student Relationships under the Microscope: Disentangling the Role of Between- and Within-Person Differences in the Prediction of Working Memory Development
Working memory is central to school learning and is shaped by teacher–child relationships. Previous research has mainly focused on differences between children, although performance and relationships also vary substantially within the same child. Our project examines how these daily fluctuations affect short-term learning and long-term developmental pathways.
Working memory is a key ability for school success and lifelong achievement. Beyond biological maturation, daily relationships between children and teachers play a crucial role in its development. Factors such as a family’s social and economic situation also affect both working memory and the quality of these relationships. While previous studies mainly focused on differences between children, recent findings show that working memory performance and teacher–child relationships can vary greatly from day to day within the same child. How such daily changes shape development, however, is still largely unknown. This project addresses this gap: First, two systematic reviews will summarise risk factors for working memory and teacher–child relationships. Building on this, an ambulatory assessment study with more than 200 fourth graders in Flanders will be conducted. In addition to pre- and post-tests, daily data on working memory and teacher–child relationships will be collected over four weeks. This design will, for the first time, allow us to examine how everyday fluctuations influence learning in the short term and help shape long-term developmental pathways.
Selected Publications
- Blume, F., Irmer, A., Dirk, J., & Schmiedek, F. (2022). Day-to-day variation in students’ academic success: The role of self-regulation, working memory, and achievement goals. Developmental Science, 00(e13301). https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13301
- Sankalaite, S., Huizinga, M., Warreyn, P., Dewandeleer, J., & Baeyens, D. (2023). The association between working memory, teacher-student relationship, and academic performance in primary school children. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1240741
- Vandenbroucke, L., Verschueren, K., Desoete, A., Aunio, P., Ghesquière, P., & Baeyens, D. (2018). Crossing the bridge to elementary school: The development of children’s working memory components in relation to teacher-student relationships and academic achievement. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 42, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2017.08.004