Young Students' Perceptions of Teachers' Acts of Kindness: What Drawings Reveal

• In Event: 31.091 - Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: 31.091-18 - Moral Development and Education SIG Roundtable on Teachers and Teacher Education

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine young students’ perceptions of kindness in teachers. A drawing-telling methodology was used and 115 students in kindergarten through grade 3 drew a picture of a teacher doing something kind at school. Conventional content analysis was used to identify global themes that were winnowed to reduce redundancy resulting in 11 themes. Prevalent acts of kindness identified by participants included: 1) teaching the entire class; 2) helping students physically; and 3) individual instruction to struggling students. As teachers are increasingly expected to provide instruction beyond core academics and provide instruction in students’ social and emotional development, this study informs our understanding of how kindness is enacted as part of teachers’ regular instructional activities.

Author

• John-Tyler Binfet, The University of British Columbia