Operationalizing the role of trust for student wellbeing, learning and achievement

Abstract

This paper provides an argument regarding the importance of relational trust between students and teachers during the learning process. Establishing this trust is expected to foster student wellbeing and lead to openness to learn and increased innovativeness. However, there is a relative dearth of theoretical and empirical literature on behaviors to establish relational trust (Bryk & Schneider, 2002;Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 1997), and how these behaviors can be expected to lead to wellbeing and academic achievement. The Learning Errors and Formative Feedback (LEAFF) model is proposed to organize key aspects of the theoretical literature as they might relate to measurable ways in which trust can be promoted with specific words and actions in the classroom to enhance learning. Based on the LEAFF model, a framework is designed to operationalize facets of trust to help teachers develop trusting relationships with their students. However, the potential effects of these facets need to be empirically tested in future studies to secure optimal learning outcomes.

Are the kids alright? Exploring students’ experiences of support mechanisms to enhance wellbeing on an engineering programme in the UK

“…Students mentioned trust and responsibility with regards to wellbeing; they were not always comfortable going to the individuals they had been told to seek out and were unsure where ultimate responsibility for their wellbeing needs lay. As mentioned earlier, trust is an important factor in wellbeing (Leighton et al 2016). An initial analysis of the data has resulted in a dedicated wellbeing advisor being appointed in our department, which has helped greatly with countering some of the issues students identified around trust and responsibility.…”

“…Trust and trusting relationships are beneficial in maintaining students' wellbeing, with students reportedly feeling safe in situations of mutual trust (Sebring and Bryk 2000). According to Leighton et al (2016), it serves as a key element in building student-teacher and student-student relationships, comprising of 5 constructs that support wellbeing: benevolence, reliability, competence, honesty, and openness. Several disciplinebased studies highlight the importance of belonging and its impact on wellbeing (for example Alder 2016; Raymond and Sheppard 2018), with social networks -either with fellow students (peer-to-peer support) or those with mutual interests (student clubs), being instrumental in helping students cope with feelings of isolation (Ahn and Davis 2020).…”

Mindful self-care and resilience in first-year undergraduate students

“…Similarly, a sense of relatedness is related to trying new things and taking risks related to flourishing (Leighton et al, 2016). In addition, according to the regression results, the self-care variables of supportive relationships and supportive structure were significantly positive.…”

#ArmMeWith: Resources for Teacher Wellbeing

“…Work stress has negative consequences for teachers' emotional and professional wellbeing (McCarthly et al, 2009) and may even lead to burnout (Maslach et al, 2001). Importantly, teachers' wellbeing affects both student wellbeing and student achievement outcomes (e.g., Geving, 2007;Leighton et al, 2016;Kokkinos, 2007). As teacher burnout and stress increases, teacher attrition increases and and their job satisfaction decreases (Howard & Johnson, 2004), which negatively impacts on student achievement and student motivation (Ronfeldt et al, 2013;Shen et al, 2015).…”