Teacher Perceptions of Student Developmental Needs: It’s all Emotional

Abstract

Previous research has suggested that emotional and social developmental domains configure most prominently for adolescents in the classroom. In this qualitative study, we first aimed to explore teachers’ perspectives of students’ needs, then to explore the ways that teachers came to understand those needs, and how that understanding informed their practice of attending to student needs in the classroom. Findings suggest that teachers, also, are more attuned to the emotional domain, interpreting all needs displayed by students through an emotional lens. Additionally, teachers used emotion as an entry point to connect with students and sought to support student development through attending to personal relationships, creating safe learning spaces, and showing care for students. Teachers’ sources of emotional awareness varied through personal histories and experiences in the profession. Implications for teacher preparation programs are discussed, including the need for greater focus to prepare teachers for the emotion needs of their students.