The Importance of Teacher-Student Relationship for Distance Learning During Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Online education has become mandatory in all countries since the Covid-19 pandemic. In order to provide practical inspiration for schools to improve online learning and teaching efficacy, and satisfaction, we explored the distance learning experience of 427 upper secondary school students in Italy. Rather than focusing on the relevance of digital tools and abilities, as most e-learning studies do, we focused on the function and influence of the teacher-student relationship and how online learning affects that connection. The study’s findings revealed that even if the technology was the central focus of upgrading the educational system, the satisfaction for the Distal Learning education is heavily based on teachers’ ability to maintain a high-quality relationship. Indeed, the quality of the relationship is a far better predictor of student satisfaction, with online education satisfaction having substantially higher coefficients than technology satisfaction, even controlling for both teachers’ and students’ technological knowledge. We also found a significant moderating effect in the interaction between quality of the relationship and technology satisfaction, implying that when students are satisfied with the technology used in online education, a high-quality relationship with teachers can boost satisfaction.