Does feeling part of a learning community help students to do well in their A-levels? Exploring teacher–student relationships

Abstract

Each year, around 250,000 16-year-olds in the United Kingdom finish their GCSEs and begin studying for their Advanced (A-) levels, many of them at further education (FE) college. Students study their A-level courses at FE college for a number of reasons, including a more mature relationship with teachers. As we approach the 64th anniversary of A-levels, their popularity is as great as ever. They represent the traditional route to university as well as indicating suitability for specific employment, although student success is often dependent upon how well they connect with, and relate to, their teachers, affecting how they feel about themselves, and how they view their learning environment. That is, research shows that when students arrive at FE college, despite there being a more equal power balance and a more adult learning environment than at school, they can find that the newfound freedoms of FE college – especially having to take responsibility for their own learning and progress – leave them feeling less secure than at school and in need of closer teacher guidance and direction than perhaps the FE college realises. Focus group discussions with 16 A-level students at FE college, followed by a questionnaire, revealed that positive relationships with teachers enabled students to feel part of a learning community and that this helped them to do well in their A-levels.