Elementary Teachers' Experiences in Building Positive Teacher-Student Relationships in High-Poverty and High-Diversity Schools

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 11
  In Roundtable Session: The Impact of Relationships and Perceptions on the Lives of Teachers

Abstract

Given the efforts to advance educational equity, the aim of this research is to investigate teachers’ perceptions and experiences to establish positive teacher-student relationships in a high poverty and high diversity school. Seventeen teachers working at a low-income urban school participated in the semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed the challenges of building a trusting relationship with students; however, teachers invested deliberate, careful, and consistent efforts to create a safe environment despite the challenging contexts. They provided physiological, emotional, and family support to students to maximize their teaching effectiveness and help students reach their potentials. Implications for teacher education programs and policy making were discussed.

Authors

• Qian Wang, The University of Oklahoma

• Ji Y. Hong, University of Oklahoma

• Crystal Diane Neill, University of Oklahoma

• Dionne Cross Francis, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Laura A. Lewis, University of Oklahoma

• Alexandra Parsons, University of Oklahoma