Critical learning components include a strong curriculum, research-based instructional practices, and an environment that supports learners. One often overlooked critical component of learning is relationships. A healthy, supportive relationship with a caring adult is a success factor for all learners.
Researchers studied foster youth who successfully transitioned from high school to college. What was the common factor among students in the study? A relationship with a caring adult (Hines et al., 2005; Neal, 2017). Similar studies examining at-risk youth (Laursen & Birmingham, 2003) and Latin American youth (Green et al., 2008) have demonstrated similar results.
What’s intriguing about each of these studies is that the caring adult in the student’s life didn’t have to be a parent or a relative. They didn’t even have to be related. Students who found success could each identify a caring, supportive adult who helped them along the way. For some, it was a family member, but for others, it was a teacher, coach, or adult from their church. The crucial factor was not who the adult was, but the fact that there was a caring, supportive adult who believed in them.
Angela Duckworth has written much about the development of “grit” (Duckworth, 2016). According to Duckworth, “Grit ” is the “it factor” that successful students possess. Grit is our resilience, willingness to persevere through challenges, and drive to succeed.
Also, Duckworth states, “You can grow your grit from the inside out” (Duckworth, 2016, p. 92). Students can develop grit provided with the proper support. Growing grit is best supported by a mentor. The best mentors are those who are “warm and supportive.”
Anyone in a child’s ecosystem can be a warm, supportive, caring adult. If you are a parent reading this, I hope you are this person for your students. If you know a student who needs support, consider filling this role for them. It requires no training. Are you an adult? Do you care about kids? You’re hired!
Curriculum, teaching, and the school environment all impact a student’s quality of learning. Relationships make a measurable impact, as well. Relationships are free, and anyone reading this is qualified to provide this success factor for a student. Relationships are powerful! Without a relationship with a caring adult, it is much more difficult for a student to succeed.
References
Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance (First Scribner hardcover edition). Scribner.
Laursen, E. K., & Birmingham, S. M. (2003). Caring relationships as a protective factor for at-risk youth: An ethnographic study. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 84(2), 240–246. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.101
Green, G., Rhodes, J., Hirsch, A. H., Suárez-Orozco, C., & Camic, P. M. (2008). Supportive adult relationships and the academic engagement of Latin American immigrant youth. Journal of School Psychology, 46(4), 393–412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2007.07.001
Hines, A. M., Merdinger, J., & Wyatt, P. (2005). Former foster youth attending college: Resilience and the transition to young adulthood. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 75(3), 381–394. https://doi.org/10.1037/0002-9432.75.3.381
Neal, D. (2017). Academic resilience and caring adults: The experiences of former foster youth. Children and Youth Services Review, 79, 242–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.06.005
