“People Here Actually Care About You”: Students’ Perceptions of Teacher Care in Deeper Learning Schools

• In Event: Broadening Perspectives on Belonging

Abstract

Using an ethics of care framework, this study explored students’ perceptions of teacher care at deeper learning schools. Student focus group data (n=48) from three demographically diverse schools was analyzed thematically. Preliminary findings suggest that students in deeper learning schools perceive caring teachers as those who attend first and foremost to their needs as learners. Students perceive that teachers demonstrate pedagogical caring through helpfulness, availability, engaging lessons, and promoting a future-oriented mindset. Variations in students’ experiences of teacher care were evident across the school settings, with evidence of culturally-congruent care lacking in one school context. This presentation will consider the relationship between care and deeper learning and discuss implications for creating caring high school learning environments.

Author

• Karyn Miller, East Texas A&M University