Teachers’ social support,somatic complaints and academic motivation in children and early adolescents

The study aim was to find out what is pupils perception of teachers' support and to check if different types of perceived support are connected with the level of somatic symptoms reported by students at school. Additionally the study searched for possible links between students' evaluation of teachers ‘as instructors, guides and caregivers’ and their motivation to attend the class and to study the subject. The results show that students perceived informative teachers' support as the most available. Prevalent somatic symptoms reported by students were those connected with tiredness, distraction, low energy and pain. Teachers' evaluation was positively linked to academic motivation. High level of perceived (1) emotional, (2) informational teachers support and a (3) high ‘mark’ prescribed by student to the teacher via teachers' evaluation were negatively related to somatic symptoms. Due to students composition i.e. children originating from different economic backgrounds, the support perception from this perspective was also analysed. The study results indicate that teachers' support perception by children living in harsh economic conditions depended on the division in which they attend the school.