An exploration of how potential early school leavers and teachers in disadvantaged post primary schools perceive their relationships

Abstract

This research unfolds in disadvantaged secondary school settings and it explores how students at risk for early school leaving and teachers experience their relationships. A model of investigation capable to reach a multiperspective understanding of teacher - student relationships is developed. Such methodological framework aims to do justice both to the subjective and to the systemic dimension of these relationships. Even further, the ongoing lived experience of both students and teachers is a dynamic factor that constantly recreates their subjective understandings. Thus, in order to explore all three aforementioned dimensions, an interpretative epistemology with phenomenological influences is chosen. A variety of qualitative research methods is used to elicit information from a purposefully selected number of teachers and students in two school settings. These methods involve a range of observation and interview techniques. Parents and other school staff, who are responsible for early school leaving issues, are also interviewed. All information gathered is structured and presented around seven teacher - student relationship cases. Through these cases it is shown how participants interpret the meaning of the same relationships differently and how their emotional investment ranges to such a degree that to some students the teacher – student relationship seems to have no function for their school stay while for others it seems to be of outstanding importance. Moreover, it seems that such perceived importance may change over time and teachers’ persistent effort to improve their classroom climate can be an important parameter in this respect. Through its theoretical framework and the rich and contextualized information, this thesis presents and discusses its findings while at the same time assumes potential transferability to other similar contexts. A number of possible methodological improvements and its inherent epistemological limitations are discussed. The study concludes with a presentation of various ways in which teacher – student relationships can be a rich resource for in-school action-based research and psychoeducational interventions in disadvantaged school settings.