Effective communication between teachers and students is a very complex skill. In order to draw conclusions about effective youth-adult relationships, four research studies (Adolescent-Adult Relationships; Best and Poorest Junior High School Student-Teacher Relationships; Elementary School Teachers' Perceptions; and Comparison of Two Good Student-Teacher Relationships) were compared using a multidimensional model of interpersonal communication. The model consists of seven positive response roles, three of which are "self" roles (sharing, confrontation, encounter/encouragement) and four of which are "other" roles (feelings, thoughts, behavior, motives). Although the research studies varied in age of the youths studied, type of relationship, subject, and response format, many consistencies occurred. Good relationships were characterized by sharing, encounter/encouragement, and congruent communication roles between student and teacher. Motives, behavior, and confrontation were used least in good relationships. Poor relationships were characterized by confrontation and behavior, with thoughts being used least often. Overall, the pattern of use (frequency or proportion) of the responses may be more important in the quality of the relationship than frequency of any one response role. (BL)