Faculty of Education - Theses

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Author: Foley, Vivienne × End date: 1999 × Start date: 1994 × Type: Masters Coursework thesis × Subject: Case studies × Subject: Victoria ×

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    "They don't act like teachers": creating caring student-teacher relationships
    Foley, Vivienne ( 1999)
    Risk research has established the characteristics of family, community and school environments that can foster resilience and help reduce the risk of harm. A caring relationship with an adult appears to be the most important protective factor in helping enhance resilience in young people. Next to the family, schools are the most likely places for young people to experience relationships that can foster resilience. This thesis investigates the potential of schools to develop caring relationships between students and teachers. The researcher consulted young people regarding their perspectives on, the characteristics of special adults, including teachers, with whom they have established caring relationships, the barriers that exist to the establishment of supportive relationships and how educators might re-think current practice to fulfil schools' potential to be a source of caring relationships for young people. As schools serve most young people, they are potentially a primary source of connectedness with adults. A teacher can play an important role in a young person's life. Participants in this study nominated teachers most frequently, after family, as adults offering care and support. The literature regarding resilience together with the findings of this research, illustrate that feelings of connectedness are affected by the nature of the relationship between student and teacher. Attention therefore, needs to focus on reviewing school processes and structures in order to personalise these environments. In order to create an education system that values positive student-teacher relationships a shift in focus is needed to recognise the fundamental importance of relationship building and a commitment to adequately resourcing schools is required. Then, the potential of school for building positive relationships can be fulfilled.