Relationships with teachers and bonds with school: Social emotional adjustment correlates for children with and without disabilities

In this investigation, fifth-and sixth-grade children (N = 289) completed a measure to assess aspects of their relationships with teachers and bonds with schools. Children and teachers also completed measures related to children's social and emotional adjustment. Analyses of responses to these measures indicated that students with disabilities had greater dissatisfaction with their relationships with teachers, poorer bonds with school, and perceived higher school danger than did students without disabilities. Comparisons involving students who were receiving services for emotional disturbance (ED), learning disabilities (LD), mild mental retardation (MMR), other health impairments (OHI), and no disabilities indicated that students with ED and students with MMR had poorer affiliation with teachers and greater dissatisfaction with teachers than students without disabilities. Students with ED also had poorer bonds with school than did students without disabilities. Students with LD and students with MMR had significantly higher ratings of perceived school danger than did students without disabilities. Results of correlational analyses indicated that student-teacher relationship and school bonding variables were associated with social and emotional adjustment variables for students with and without disabilities.