TEACHER UNDERSTANDING OF CARE: USING EMPIRICAL AND CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS TO EXPLICATE THE MEANING OF CARE AS REFLECTED IN THE RELATIONAL ASPECTS OF THE CLASSROOM

Abstract

Care theory is a complex theory to understand, and interpreting its meaning involves a close investigation of the context in which it is both employed and explored. In this study, both conceptual and empirical literature will be analyzed, along with primary empirical research data, to help explicate the meaning of care as observed in various schooling contexts. Theoretical and empirical scholars discuss care in very different ways which reflect unique frameworks for establishing the meaning of care in a relational sense between teachers and students. Recognizing that this study is framed in the context of teacher and student relationships in schools, I will test various ontological claims made by care theorists about how care is expressed between one who cares and the one for whom that caring takes place, the “cared-for.” Empirical researchers use this framework either as a catapult for attempting to illustrate how care is operationalized in the school setting (e.g., student outcomes), or to develop a meaning of care through the analysis of empirical data. Interviews with eight teacher participants across four school districts will help to further illuminate the meaning of care. This study will provide educators with a fuller awareness of the different dimensions of care in the classroom and suggest future implications for their relationships with students and its impact on instruction.