Caring for high school students in transcultural spaces: accessing student voice

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the perspectives of 52 high school students on the meaning of caring in the school setting. Seven focus groups were utilized to collect data. Five groups were racially homogeneous and mixed-gender; one group comprised males of various races; and one group comprised females of various races. In the focus groups, participants were invited to discuss their experiences and perceptions related to teachers’ caring. Open coding and axial coding of focus group transcripts revealed that caring is extremely important to students for a variety of reasons. Student voice was used to ascribe meaning to the ethic of care from the student perspective. Four themes emerged in how students make meaning of teacher caring: caring means valuing students’ individuality, giving extra academic support as needed, providing engaging instruction and treating all students fairly. Each theme was undergirded by relationship building. Students discussed the importance of relationships throughout the focus groups.