Antecedents and consequences of teacher attunement in primary and secondary school classrooms
PhD ceremony: | E. Marucci, MA |
When: | June 12, 2023 |
Start: | 16:15 |
Supervisor: | prof. dr. D.R. (René) Veenstra |
Co-supervisors: | B. (Beau) Oldenburg, PhD, dr. D. Barrera |
Where: | Academy building RUG |
Faculty: | Behavioural and Social Sciences |

Teachers are crucial agents in setting students’ overall classroom experience, and this experience can either aid or hinder students’ sense of safety, their social-emotional well-being, and, ultimately, their academic attainment. The ability of teachers to have an impact on their students’ peer experiences depends on their understanding of the social structures within the classroom, and how aware they are of the social roles of their students. The extent to which teachers are attuned to their students can impact their ability to act as an invisible hand in the classroom, assisting in the development of well-structured classrooms where students are supported in their social development.
This dissertation aimed to examine the antecedents of teacher attunement and the consequences of teacher attunement, and more generally, educational interventions aimed at improving the social dynamics of important aspects of the classroom environment, such as promoting prosocial behavior and cooperation, while discouraging negative behavioral patterns such as bullying.