Humanizing and conducive to learning: an adolescent students’ perspective on the central attributes of positive relationships with teachers

Abstract

The aim of this qualitative study was to identify central attributes of positive relationships with teachers from the adolescent students' perspectives that could help delineate the meaning of student-teacher connectedness while exploring to what extent its main attributes were similar or different in England and Spain. As part of the EU-funded project "Well-being among European youth: The contribution of student-teacher relationships in the secondary-school population", we conducted focus groups in England and Spain with 42 students aged 11 to 18 years. Using a bottom-up approach for thematic analysis, we identified two main attributes that were linked to positive relationships with teachers as seen by our participating students from England and Spain: humanizing relationships, in which the students are acknowledged and respected as individuals and feel understood and supported by their teachers; and relationships conducive to learning, encompassing aspects such as a perception of a genuine commitment with their learning on the part of the teachers, a positive classroom management, and teachers motivating students. This study contributes to the conceptualization of student-teacher connectedness and provides useful insights for teachers and educational professionals. In addition, the study findings pointed to the importance of power and authority dynamics in student-teacher relationships that foster or undermine connectedness, and they revealed some cross-cultural differences in the role of emotions in the class, two important aspects which deserve further attention in future research.

Teachers’ patterns of management of conflicts with students: A study in five European countries

“…Nevertheless, research also highlighted that the conflict has to be considered not only a source of pressure in teaching profession but also a significant opportunity for development and enhancement of skills, critical reflection, and growth at personal, interpersonal and group level ( Doğan, 2016 ). Consequently, particular attention should be given not only to teachers’ ability to avoid conflict emergency but also to teachers' ability to adequately handle conflicts and to adopt constructive and creative management strategies without disrupting the educational goals and without affecting the relationship with students and the class harmony ( Balay, 2006 ; Cornille, Pestle, & Vanwy 1999 ; Doğan, 2016 ; García-Moya, Brooks, & Moreno, 2019 ; Longaretti & Wilson 2006 ; Özgan, 2016 ).…”

Fostering Student-Faculty Relationships in Higher Education

“…However, to understand the "structural features and the dynamics of a relationship, the environment in which it takes place has to be considered" (Castaldo, 2007, p. 20). Recent studies in education (e.g., Cropanzano et al, 2017;García-Moya et al, 2020;T. Gibbs & Kharouf, 2020;Yousaf et al, 2020) have acknowledged the application of ideas from SET and the services and relationship management literature, and have called for further research on building lasting relationships between service providers and recipients; this thesis examines student and alumni loyalty as a potential outcome of relationship quality.…”

“…Positive student-faculty interactions contribute to pedagogical objectives in terms of intellectual and personal student development, such as increased student motivation, engagement, social integration, and academic performance (Y. K. Kim & Lundberg, 2016;Klem & Connell, 2004;Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005), and may subsequently promote student retention and perseverance to achieve a degree (O'Keeffe, 2013;Vander Schee, 2008a, 2008b. Furthermore, when interpersonal relationships between students and their institution are perceived positively by students, students may develop a sense of belonging or (growing) connection to their institution (García-Moya et al, 2020;Y. K. Kim & Lundberg, 2015).…”

“…Interactions and relationships between students and their educational faculty and staff are pivotal for educational learning processes (Cotten & Wilson, 2006;García-Moya et al, 2020;Hagenauer & Volet, 2014;Hagenauer et al, 2015). Positive outcomes include students' development and involvement in several ways, such as (higher levels of) student motivation (Komarraju et al, 2010;Pascarella et al, 1978;Trolian et al, 2016), well-being (Roffey, 2012), school or student engagement (Bonet & Walters, 2016;Maulana et al, 2013, Roorda et al, 2011, Umbach & Wawrzynski, 2005, institutional commitment (Tinto, 1975), and student and alumni loyalty (Helgesen & Nesset, 2007;Hennig-Thurau et al, 2001;.…”

“…Recent studies in the field of educational psychology called for qualitative research (e.g., Clem et al, 2020;García-Moya et al, 2020). These studies suggested examining the development of (positive) interactions between students and their higher education institutions ( i.e., teachers, professors, mentors, and other faculty and staff).…”