The relationship factor: Understanding the role and development of teacher-student relationships in middle

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explain the process by which relationships evolve between teachers and students in a suburban East Tennessee middle school. Based on the assumption that “knowledge is created through action and interaction ” (Corbin & Strauss, 2008, p. 2), this study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the relationships between middle school teachers and their students. A grounded theory approach (see Corbin & Strauss, 2008) was used to collect and analyze data, with the purpose of generating a theory that explains the phenomena. Because the study was driven by teachers ’ and students ’ voices, whose perspectives were examined in conjunction with actual behaviors, the constant comparative method of gathering and analyzing data from teacher and student observations and interviews provided the framework for developing grounded theory. Data was first collected from a sample of teachers (n =12) and students (n = 234) via an open-ended prompt, followed by a purposeful sampling of teachers (n = 11) and students (n = 30) selected for individual open-ended standardized interviews, and finally through informal classroo