Employing Relationship-Centred Pedagogy to Support Underperforming Students in a Socio-economically Disadvantaged Context

• In Event: Building New Worlds: Constructing Supportive Spaces for Historically Marginalized Students and Faculty of Color

Abstract

This paper explores how three exemplary teachers in a rural, socio-economically disadvantaged Jamaican secondary school employed relationship-centred pedagogy as part of a warm-demanding approach to support underachieving students. Qualitative case studies of their teaching revealed three core relational dimensions: fostering mutual respect, promoting peer camaraderie and providing relational support. These practices cultivated nurturing, psychologically safe learning environments within a marginalized educational setting. Students therefore developed stronger learning dispositions, demonstrating increased academic commitment, engagement and persistence. The research underscores the importance of culturally responsive, relational pedagogy in promoting student learning within structurally disadvantaged contexts. Specifically, it calls for increased attention to the socio-emotional dimensions of pedagogy to support low-income students who have been persistently underserved by the Caribbean education system.

Author

• Daneille Stacy-Ann Green, University College London - IOE