Date of Conferral
2023
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Education
Advisor
Terri Edwards
Abstract
There was a gap in the United States between developing teacher-student relationships with Title 1 students and students who are not considered Title 1. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore early childhood teachers’ perspectives of practices and challenges of developing teacher-student relationships with Title 1 students. The conceptual framework for this study was Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. The research question for this study focused on determining early childhood teachers’ perspectives of practices and challenges of developing teacher-student relationships with Title 1 students. Data were collected in this basic qualitative study through one-on-one interviews with a minimum of 10 prekindergarten to first-grade teachers who were currently teaching Title 1 students. Braun and Clarke’s six-step framework was used for thematic analysis of the data, resulting in four emergent themes: (a) teachers are frustrated by external obstacles when creating relationships with Title 1 students for many reasons, (b) teachers empathize with students’ background when creating relationships with Title 1 students, (c) teachers use consistent practices and routines to promote teacher-student relationships with Title 1 students, and (d) teacher-student relationships promote positive outcomes for Title 1 students. The findings of this study may lead to positive social change because they may help other early childhood teachers learn about strategies that they can use to close the teacher-student relationship gap and increase academic, social, and emotional development for Title 1 students.
Recommended Citation
Teal, Jessica, "Early Childhood Teachers’ Perspectives of Teacher-Student Relationships With Title 1 Students" (2023). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 14917.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/14917
