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White teachers talk about building relationships with students of color
Dissertation   Open access

White teachers talk about building relationships with students of color

Ronald J. Silvis
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Drexel University
May 2016
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-6888
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Abstract

Multicultural education--Research Communication in education--Research Intercultural communication--Research Teacher-student relationships Education
Teachers enter the classroom with a particular set of cultural norms and values. These norms and values are often different from the students they teach and can impact the ability for students to succeed in the American K-12 school system. This qualitative research study explored how white suburban middle school teachers attempt to generate authentic teacher-student relationships with their students of color to create a better connection with the school community and help raise classroom achievement. The following questions guided this research: a) How do white teachers create authentic relationships with their students of color in a suburban K-12 middle school?, b) How do white suburban middle school teachers define authentic teacher-student relationships?, and c) How do white suburban middle school teachers help create authentic teacher-student relationships with their students of color in a suburban middle school? Multiple one-on-one interviews were conducted with the teacher participants to determine how they define authentic care, methods and techniques they use to display authentic care and to gain personal narratives of how the white participants authentically connect specifically with students of color in their classrooms. The data demonstrated that there remains a gap in teacher training with respect to diversity and multicultural education, participants at this site utilize advanced communication techniques such as direct dialogue and dialogue journaling to help them authentically connect with their students of color, and participants were able to create meaningful connections with specific students of color in which care was reciprocated from the students onto the teachers.

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