Students' perspectives on teacher-student relatedness in Vietnamese high schools

Student relatedness to teachers is regarded as a central component in the development of student academic motivation. In societies such as Vietnam, where individuals are influenced by Confucian cultural values including interpersonal relationships and harmony, relatedness with others is considered an important need for student motivation (Bao & Lam, 2008; Chong, Huan, Quek, Yeo, & Ang, 2010). The purpose of the study is to investigate how students’ relatedness to teachers within a collectivistic learning environment affects their adoption of achievement goals and academic achievement. This paper reports on the qualitative component of the study that sought to examine the views of tenth-grade students (n=12) from senior high schools in Vietnam. Analysis of interview data indicated that students demonstrated a need for getting close to their teacher, and teacher-student relatedness had an impact on students’ motivation as they made attempts to please the teacher. Data also indicated students relied on teachers as a good source of knowledge, and students’ orientation to achievement was affected by their perceptions of the instructions emphasized in the class. Students also reported uncertainty in their perceived self-efficacy as they tended to exert little effort when encountering difficult tasks, and expected to receive considerable support from teachers. Implications of these findings for teacher-student relatedness are considered and discussed.