Natalyn Kapner
Pronouns:
Research Mentor(s): Amanda Brown
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Educational Studies / Education
Program: UROPF
Session: Session 1 (9:00am – 9:50am)
Authors: Natalyn Kapner, Amanda Brown
Abstract
Much has been written about the importance of an ethic of caring in teaching for supporting students’ success in school. However, previous research has shown that the way students perceive teacher care is different than the way teachers believe they are caring for a student. Furthermore, emerging research has suggested that students’ backgrounds may play a crucial role in shaping their perceptions of care. This suggests a need to understand more about how students’ perceptions of instructional care relate with their background and schooling experiences. This is the aim of this study. In Spring of 2021, the Perceptions of Teacher Caring (PTC) Instrument was administered to a diverse group of students (n=483) drawn from 5 high schools in the Midwest. The PTC instrument asks students to rate, using a 4-point Likert scale, statements about the importance of three different ways that teachers can show care: Fostering Positive Engagement, Validating Student Worth, and Individualizing Academic Success. We report how students’ perceptions of these three different ways of showing care vary across the students’ gender and school performance. Results showed that the students that identified as female (n=205) or high performing (n=305) were more likely to attribute higher importance to all three types of instructional care than students that identified as male (n=221) or low-performing (n=134) respectively.
