Produced by Monash University and published in Educational Psychology Review, the paper, titled Associations Between Teacher-Student Relationship Quality and Middle and Secondary School Teachers Wellbeing: A Systematic Review, analysed 55 studies and suggests that teacher-student relationship quality is an important indicator of teachers' wellbeing.

The study found positive teacher-student relationships, most often classified as close and less conflictual, were associated with teachers’ daily emotional experiences and their senses of engagement, meaning and accomplishment in their work, which all contribute to their overall wellbeing, according to the PERMA (positive emotions, engagement, meaning, and accomplishment) model.

PhD candidate Rhoda Lai, lead author from Monash University’s Faculty of Education, says school leaders play an important role in offering support to help teachers manage relational demands more effectively.

“Schools that recognise the emotional labour involved in teaching are better placed to support staff across the year,” Lai says.

“Schools need to consider how building and sustaining relationships with students can be recognised as a core part of teachers’ work, with time, support, and professional development attached to it.

“Relationships are not always prioritised in high schools, where other things like covering content can take up considerable time.”

Co-author and belonging expert Associate Professor Kelly-Ann Allen, from Monash University’s Faculty of Education, says until now the support has been focused on how to best prepare students.

“As the school year begins, we commonly see advice directed at adults on how best to support students returning to school,” Allen explains.

“Students, however, are not the only people in school communities.

“If we take anything from research on teacher wellbeing over recent years, alongside growing concerns about teacher retention, burnout, and declining entry into the profession, it is that teacher wellbeing needs to be a clear priority in 2026.”

 Allen emphasises that it cannot just be a response to the aforementioned concerns, because it deserves its own attention in its own right,

“Because teachers are important,” Allen says.

“Our recent research treats teaching as relational work. The benefits of student-teacher relationships are often framed as important for students. Teachers, however, also benefit from these relationships in meaningful ways.”

Evidence cited in the report shows that when middle and secondary teachers experience positive relationships with students, they are more likely to report higher wellbeing.

These relationships contribute to a sense of meaning, engagement, and professional satisfaction, the research suggests.

When relationships are strained or characterised by violence, ongoing conflict, or heightened emotional demands, the risk to teacher wellbeing increases.

Victorian middle school student, Florence, says most teachers are going to be with their students for an entire year, “so they might as well build a good relationship with each other”.

“Playing games in class, having fun with students, and giving out class rewards all help build positive relationships,” Florence says.

Allen also suggests that positive relationships are built when teachers and students have consistent warm interactions, when teachers use fair and predictable practices, share appropriate personal insights, and foster a sense of inclusion.

“Teachers can find ways to share meaningful experiences with their students and know that this is benefiting their own wellbeing as much as their student’s,” Allen says.

A teacher-student relationship, within professional boundaries, the researchers share, develops in much the same way as any other relationship because it takes time to grow through mutual respect and reciprocal effort and engagement.

Ultimately, they claim, a positive relationship can hold value for both students and teachers alike, and this positive impact can be remembered (from both perspectives) decades on.

Click here to read the research paper Associations Between Teacher-Student Relationship Quality and Middle and Secondary School Teachers Wellbeing: A Systematic Review