Values-affirmation interventions have the potential to improve students’ experience and achievement in school. Researchers have proposed that these benefits are greatest when affirmation exercises are delivered by teachers (versus researchers). The current research provides an experimental test of whether describing affirmation activities as provided by teachers increases students’ engagement with the activities and students’ positive perceptions of their teachers. In a 2×2 field experiment, delivered to students during their first year of high school, students completed either an affirmation or matched control activity purportedly provided by either teachers or researchers. We found that describing affirmation activities as provided by teachers led students to perceive that teachers at their school were more interested in students’ broader lives outside of school and provided marginally more care and support to students, as compared to the same affirmation exercise described as provided by researchers and control activities attributed to either source. In addition, teacher-provided affirmation activities prompted students to write more during the activities. The present study provides initial evidence that affirmation interventions can improve students’ perceptions of their relationship with their teachers—a potent driver of student success—but only when affirmation activities are seen as coming from and of interest to teachers.

中文翻译：

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教师与研究人员提供的肯定对学生的任务参与和教师的积极看法的影响

价值观肯定干预有可能改善学生在学校的体验和成就。研究人员提出，当肯定练习由教师（相对于研究人员）提供时，这些好处是最大的。目前的研究提供了一个实验性测试，即描述教师提供的肯定活动是否会增加学生对活动的参与度以及学生对教师的积极看法。在高中第一年向学生提供的 2×2 现场实验中，学生完成了据称由教师或研究人员提供的肯定或匹配的控制活动。我们发现，与描述的相同肯定活动相比，描述教师提供的肯定活动使学生认为他们学校的老师对学生在校外更广泛的生活更感兴趣，并且为学生提供的关心和支持略多。由研究人员和归因于任一来源的控制活动。此外，教师提供的肯定活动促使学生在活动中多写。本研究提供了初步证据，表明肯定干预可以改善学生对他们与老师关系的看法——这是学生成功的有力驱动因素——但前提是肯定活动被视为来自教师并对其感兴趣。与研究人员提供的相同确认练习和归因于任一来源的控制活动相比。此外，教师提供的肯定活动促使学生在活动中多写。本研究提供的初步证据表明，肯定干预可以改善学生对他们与老师关系的看法——这是学生成功的有力驱动因素——但前提是肯定活动被视为来自教师并对其感兴趣。与研究人员提供的相同确认练习和归因于任一来源的控制活动相比。此外，教师提供的肯定活动促使学生在活动中多写。本研究提供的初步证据表明，肯定干预可以改善学生对他们与老师关系的看法——这是学生成功的有力驱动因素——但前提是肯定活动被视为来自教师并对其感兴趣。