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Teachers’ beliefs about the development of teacher–adolescent trust

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Abstract

In this study, we examined teachers’ beliefs concerning the meaning and nature of teacher–student trust in a diverse sample of secondary-school teachers (n = 34). Using a grounded-theory approach, a process model of teacher–adolescent trust emerged based on semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Antecedents of trust could be categorised as a function of student ecology (e.g. home environment) and teacher and student actions, including: demonstrating care, being consistent and reliable, making personal connections and engaging in helpful behaviour. Other teacher actions included drawing upon personal resources such as efficacy, social roles and available instructional approaches. Unique student actions highlighted the importance that teachers place on compliance with social norms and honest, responsible behaviour. Perceived benefits of trust reflected changes in: classroom climate, quality of social interactions, available teaching methods and positive student behaviours. Finally, teachers discussed ways in which trust evolved over time. Model processes and new hypotheses generated by the model are discussed in the light of current literature on adult–child relationships and trust in schools.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. American Institutes for Research, 1025 Thomas Jefferson Street NW, Washington, DC, 20007, USA

    Shannon L. Russell

  2. Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Kathryn R. Wentzel

  3. School of Education, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Alice E. Donlan

Authors
  1. Shannon L. Russell
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  2. Kathryn R. Wentzel
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  3. Alice E. Donlan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shannon L. Russell.

Appendix

Appendix

Questions used to develop the model of teacher–adolescent trust.

Iteration one: Semi-structured interview questions

  • What role if any do you think trusts plays in managing your classroom?

  • What things do you do that might establish trust?

  • Thinking of a student that you trust, describe that student. How did he/she come to gain your trust?

  • Thinking of a student who you may not have trusted at first but now do, can you describe that student?

  • Is there a student you don’t trust? Can you describe that student?

  • Would you say that trust is similar or dissimilar across your classrooms this year in comparison to other teaching experiences?

  • When I say the word trust, what do you think of?

Iteration two: Focus-group questions

Group 1: Strategies group

  • List as many strategies as you can think of to develop trust with your students that involve social interactions with an individual student.

  • List as many strategies as you can think of to develop trust with your students that involve social interactions for developing trust with a class as a whole.

  • List as many strategies as you can think of to develop trust with your students that involve instruction. Are there ways to establish trust through instruction, either through the curriculum or how you teach?

Group 2: How to address issues of distrust

  • What might teachers do to lead students to distrust them? For instance, what advice would you give to new teachers concerning what they should NOT do if they want to establish trusting relationships with students?

  • How do you know when a student doesn’t trust you; when an entire class doesn’t trust you? Can you give some examples of when this has happened to you or your colleagues?

  • What do you do when your trust in a student is broken?

Group 3: Antecedents of trust

  • How/does socioeconomic status and family background influence the development of trust with students?

  • How/does a match or mismatch between your own background and those of your students play a role in establishing trust?

  • Are there other characteristics or factors associated with a student’s background that could make it challenging to establish a trusting relationship with them?

Iteration three: Focus-group questions

  • Being able to incorporate different types of instruction was mentioned as a benefit of trust, could these activities be used before trust exists or is it necessary to have trust to use them?

  • Do you find yourself interacting differently with students with whom you have established trust or have a trusting relationship with?

  • If a student acts in trustworthy ways in your class does this mean they will also be trustworthy in other classes? In other words, will trust transfer to another classroom?

  • Looking at the student characteristics that lead to trust, do students need to show all of these behaviours to be trusted? Are there certain essential characteristics that must be shown?

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Russell, S.L., Wentzel, K.R. & Donlan, A.E. Teachers’ beliefs about the development of teacher–adolescent trust. Learning Environ Res 19, 241–266 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-016-9207-8

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