Abstract
The teacher-student relationship has been proved as a critical factor to students’ academic performance and development. A good teaching is actually a connection of relationships. However, what kind of teacher-student relationship is helpful to students’ learning and development? Rogers (1961) indicated that the relationship between teacher and student is similar with that of therapist and client. From the theory of self psychology, could a teacher, as a good self object, influence the self and personality development of students?
Based on the hypothesis, a qualitative case study was conducted by interviewing an award-wining professor and his students in a national university in Taiwan. The interviews were transcribed into narrative texts to explore the nature and process of building teacher-student relationship and to analyze the influence of the relationship through the perspectives of the teacher and students. Some major issues emerged from the process were discussed from the concepts of self psychology.
The results showed that it is more meaningful to interpret teacher-student relationships as a process of self and personality construction. A genuine, caring and warm teacher-student relationship did matter to students’ learning and development. Besides, the relationship is more influential in students’ development than teachers’. Future research on teachers and students in K-12 was recommended.
| Keywords: | teacher-student relationships; personality construction; self psychology |
|---|
[Chinese Version | Index | Journal of Education and Psychology | Other Journals | Subscription form | Enquiry ]
Mail any comments and suggestions to
hkier-journal@cuhk.edu.hk .