Pedagogical Relationship Research Articles

Therapeutic-Use-of-Self as Relational Pedagogy in Occupational Therapy Education: A Qualitative Description Study.

Amid growing calls for relational teaching approaches in higher education to improve student learning outcomes and student and educator well-being, a need remains for effective relational pedagogies. Therapeutic-use-of-self (TUS) is an occupational therapy skill that centers the client-occupational therapist relationship, yet there is a dearth of research exploring its application as a pedagogy. This presents an opportunity for a widely used occupational therapy skill, TUS, to be adapted as a much-needed relational pedagogy. Objective. We explored the experience of TUS as a relational pedagogy in occupational therapy education from educator and student perspectives. Method. This qualitative description study borrowed from the evocative methodology of collaborative autoethnography. We, six researcher-participants, across two Canadian entry-to-practice occupational therapy programs, engaged in five discussions exploring the relationship between participant stories and contexts. Reflective memoing and reflexive thematic analysis were applied for analysis. Findings. Four themes were described: (a) education as transaction, (b) authenticity in learning, (c) experiencing TUS, and (d) relationship as resistance. Conclusion. With an emphasis on authenticity, empathy, power equity, and critical reflexivity, TUS challenges status quo approaches to education. Although neoliberalism challenges the feasibility of relational pedagogy in higher education, TUS holds promise as a relational and critical pedagogy.

Participatory Digital Mapping, Dynamic Data, and Children’s Emergent Science Argumentation About Local Socio-Ecological Systems

Abstract Over the last two decades, there has been an increasing focus on spatial technologies in teaching and learning, revealing the potential to support new forms of youth sensemaking across varied settings and modalities. Recent scholarship has shown the possibilities of participatory digital mapping technologies, enabling young people to collect data within community settings and create interactive data-rich maps about complex phenomena and processes that build from their local expertise and inquiries. Yet to date, these technologies and related pedagogies remain less researched within K-5 educational contexts. In this article, we examine the most recent iteration from a multi-year design research project that centered 5th grade students’ learning about socio-ecological systems by engaging in participatory digital mapping to study their schoolyard soil ecosystems underfoot. We examine the possibilities of centering digital participatory map making as a basis for modeling and argumentation in elementary science. Analyzing whole class discussion video within the 10-week curriculum, we show how children authored their collective maps in numerous ways, making visible their social and ecological knowledge of the schoolyard, as well as their experiences defining, producing and visualizing qualitative and quantitative data. As part of this broader design-based research project, we find that children were able to reason about complex socio-ecological systems across spatial, temporal, and relational dimensions in inventive ways, often considered out of reach for elementary aged students, while also expanding what could count as data and what ways of knowing were valued within the science classroom. Implications for science education, place-based education, and emerging geospatial technologies are discussed.

‘I love my class family’: Writing Realities and Relational Pedagogies

AbstractAsset‐based and relational pedagogies highlight the centrality of meaningful relationships and authenticity in teaching and learning. Foregrounding children's lived experiences, interests, and ways of knowing provides a focus for teachers to be responsive, both relationally and pedagogically. Writing workshop, as conceived in the 1980's by Donald Graves and Lucy Calkins, is a longstanding curricular structure that encourages young writers to engage with multiple tools and resources, including peers, as they compose. Through writing conferences and authors’ chairs, young writers attend to the practice of composing on paper/screen as well as how their message may be received. This study analyzes children's writing samples to underscore the presence of (a) writing identity, (b) critical literacy, (c) culturally sustaining pedagogy, (d) translanguaging, and (e) intertextuality. Chilldren's interactions with tools, peers, and others provide fertile ground for understanding the critical role of a humanizing and relational approach to teaching and learning. The following questions guide this study: (1) How is a writing realities framework reflected in young children's compositions? (2) What do children's writing artifacts reveal about relationality?

Book Review: Gravett, K. (2023) Relational pedagogies: connections and mattering in higher education. London: Bloomsbury

Book Review: Gravett, K. (2023) Relational pedagogies: connections and mattering in higher education. London: Bloomsbury

EXAMINING UNIVERSITY TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ AWARENESS & ACCEPTANCE ABOUT CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING

This research examines awareness and acceptance of culturally responsive teaching (CRT) amid university teachers and students, aiming to elucidate its implications for educational practice and policy. This qualitative study seeks to explore the awareness and acceptance of CRT among university teachers and students, shedding light on the nuances of their perceptions and experiences. Through thematic analysis of participant interviews, this study explores how CRT is understood & integrated into teaching practices across diverse disciplines. Findings show that varying levels of awareness among educators, highlighting importance of professional development & institutional support in promoting effective CRT implementation. Student viewpoint underline effect of culturally related pedagogy on engagement and academic performance of teachers. Ultimately, research underscores CRT's potential to foster inclusive learning environments & prepare students for diverse global contexts, leading to debates on equity and social justice in education. Thus, by exploring knowledge, acceptance and execution of CRT in educators & students of university, this research pinpoint strengths and weaknesses of implementing CRT principles into university teaching and learning endeavors.

Compassion in higher education: fashion or future for relational pedagogies?

ABSTRACT This comment paper offers critical reflections on compassion as a core concern in contemporary higher education, positioned in the context of hybrid and relational pedagogies. The pernicious effects of neoliberal ideology and policy upon academic teaching practices and students’ learning experiences have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper problematises the concept and role of compassion in higher education to highlight the risk of it becoming a ‘buzzword’ or fashionable ‘flavour of the month’ solution that fails to adequately address underlying systemic problems. It challenges the discourse of compassion and associated language of suffering when applied to students and reveals the ‘underside of compassion’ as a mode of power. Conversely, from the perspective of academic staff, this paper draws attention to research undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic which shows that staff suffering needs to be acknowledged, voiced and heard. It advocates against overly simplistic and uncritically positive approaches to addressing the paradoxical nature of compassion in higher education. This paper concludes by arguing that cultivating critically compassionate learning cultures and campuses will: (a) enable relational pedagogies to thrive and (b) support the development of a more diverse, equitable and inclusive future for higher education.

Mentoring research projects in the Croatian higher education document framework

PurposeApproaching mentoring from the theoretical tradition of continental pedagogy and contrasting it to the neoliberal organization of the academy, this paper aims to analyze how the Croatian higher education document framework constructs mentoring graduate and postgraduate students' research projects.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis of 50 national- and university-level documents, which were coded using an adapted strategy described by Saldaña (2014), was guided by the following research questions. 1. Which elements of the mentor’s activity in guiding the research projects of graduate and postgraduate students are addressed by the relevant Croatian higher education documents? 2. Which elements of the graduate and postgraduate students’ activity in conducting research projects are addressed? 3. Which structural dimensions of mentoring these research projects are addressed?FindingsThe results point to the construction of mentoring as a pedagogical relationship based on guidance, support and dialog and also signal the processes of quantification of education and responsibilization of individuals.Practical implicationsThe results can be used in the critical revision of the documents as well as in supporting mentors in their professional roles.Originality/valueThis is the first analysis of the Croatian higher education document framework focused on mentoring students’ research projects.

Transforming relationships. Pedagogical tact as a utopian figure of mediation

ABSTRACT The article discusses the figure of pedagogical tact in its cultural and social entanglements and transformations. Tact is reconstructed from a dialectical-relational perspective as a utopian figure which arises both within pedagogical relationships and from the relationships to the respective cultural and social conditions – more precisely: from a criticism of them. In this dialectical tension, it is argued that relationships are both transformative and, in turn, require transformations in order to enable tactful pedagogical action.

Pedagogical Guidelines for School Religious Education in the Context of Rural Education

This work presents pedagogical guidelines for School Religious Education (SRE) in rural contexts. The need to evolve from more traditional teaching practices and to move toward a more pluralistic approach that considers the socio-cultural particularities of students is explored. The aim of this article is to reveal experiences that are considered successful for teaching based on interfaith and intercultural dialogue. The method of the study is qualitative, and the design is Grounded Theory. The participants are teachers from rural schools in the La Araucanía Region in Chile. For data collection, semi-structured interviews were applied to religion teachers. The results fall into four dimensions/categories: an intercultural interfaith approach, active-reflective methodologies, experiential pedagogical relationships, and significant contents. The findings reveal that it is necessary to establish links between SRE and the educational community through active methodologies to promote interfaith dialogue and mutual understanding. This article proposes that SRE teacher training institutions should design study programs based on the religious and cultural diversity present in today’s society.

Sustainable Learning Design

This article presents the results of a case study of eight undergraduate science modules on factors for sustainable Learning Design interventions. Using a mixed-methods approach involving educator interviews, statistical data, screening of learning designs based on a furthered learning design model (STREAM), student surveys, and an efficiency assessment based on the concept of Efficient Learning Design, a total of six factors for sustainable Learning Design in the context of science higher education related to the educator perspective and the actualised learning designs are identified. The article concludes that in addition to the direct factors such as the number of enrolled students and repetition of modules, the educators’ consideration for the institutional cost-benefit perspective, their perceived usefulness of technology-enhanced learning and buy-in of its related pedagogy, the students buy-in of technology-enhanced learning, and a consistent structure with online activities, reflection exercises, and feedback are significant underlying factors for efficient and sustainable Learning Design.

Authentic assessment as relational pedagogy

ABSTRACT This article troubles a pervasive concept within higher education studies: authentic assessment. Authentic assessment is well-established within higher education, and yet its common usage leaves it limited in possibility. Often understood as a practice focused on tasks, where assessments represent a ‘reality’ beyond universities, authentic assessment praxis has missed engaging with wider literature exploring authenticity as an emergent quality connected with being and becoming. In this article, I first consider the utility of concepts in education, and then spotlight a change in how authentic assessment is being understood. I then move to explore how relational pedagogies might offer further insights into how assessment can be conceptualised and enacted, sketching shapes for thinking differently about authenticity in assessment. Extending the exciting conversation that is redirecting praxis, I argue that thinking with theory can help us think and enact assessment in a more meaningful mode, where assessment becomes a relational, ethical, act.

Raising nurse educators’ awareness regarding caring pedagogical relationships’ barriers to foster inclusive simulation settings: Insights from a phenomenological study

AimThe purpose of this paper was to shed light on the main barriers to caring pedagogical relationships within simulation centers from the perspective of nursing students and offer targeted strategies to reduce these barriers. BackgroundA caring pedagogical relationship is a powerful strategy to foster students’ learning within simulation settings. However, the development of this relationship could be hindered if nurse educators are not aware of its barriers. Hence, this could affect students’ learning and well-being within this academic context. According to our knowledge, no previous research has addressed the question of the barriers to caring pedagogical relationships within the context of simulation. DesignThis study employed a descriptive phenomenological method, entitled Relational Caring Inquiry, to collect and analyze data gathered from 19 students enrolled in an undergraduate nursing program. ResultsThis paper focuses on one eidos-theme that emerged from our data analysis and interpretation entitled “Educator’s conscientization regarding barriers to the development of a caring pedagogical relationship”. According to data analysis and interpretation, this eidos-theme was the most emphasized by research participants. It emerged from the following themes: (a) educators’ dehumanizing practices, (b) disruptive and stressful academic context, (c) lack of educators’ experiences and (d) educators’ disinterest in students’ learning. ConclusionsLeaving caring pedagogical relationships’ barriers unaddressed has shown adverse impacts on students’ learning process and their mental and physical well-being. This paper brings to light the main barriers to caring pedagogical relationships and invites educators, managers and nurse leaders to be aware of these obstacles and collectively engage in humanizing nursing education. In other words, we emphasize the impact of these barriers on students’ apprenticeship and suggest political actions to build caring and inclusive simulation environments. Study Registration NumberCERSES-19–050-D.

Learning to the rhythm: On the potential of music in fostering relations in the classroom

AbstractThis article draws on a case study of a third‐year geography course to explore the potential of music in fostering relational pedagogy in higher education. We argue that the reciprocal nature of music sharing generates a dialogical space that allows for multiple relations to be developed between the learners and their selves, among students and peers, between learners and teachers, as well as between students and the materials they study and the wider world. Furthermore, music encourages an approach to pedagogy that is emancipatory and which is characterised by genuine care, humility and trust.

Improving the Learning Experience of Chinese Masters’ students in UK higher education

ABSTRACT Both challenges and opportunities are inherent with a growth in Chinese international students in UK Higher Education. However, teachers from the West may not understand the differences in Chinese educational practices, which can lead to negative stereotyping of these students as passive and problematic. This paper rejects this deficit perspective, focusing on the views of Chinese students as to what might need to change about the UK teaching and campus environment to improve their learning experience. Two focus groups were held with Chinese social science Masters’ students in a UK university. Some of their key requests included to reduce class sizes; to provide more guidance around study skills; to offer more timely and accessible information; to provide a more flexible range of services and learning support; and to create more social time with staff and other students. The discussions particularly brought out the importance of ‘relational pedagogy’. These requirements will need more staff time and institutional flexibility which will necessitate adequate funding. The authors conclude that, despite Chinese students’ significant contribution to the local economy and to University finances, there does not seem to be a commensurate investment in protecting their wellbeing and ensuring they receive a quality education. We consider it is important to listen to and act on the students’ suggestions outlined here if UK Higher Education is to remain the destination of choice for many Chinese and other international students.

Safe Spaces and Critical Places: Youth Programming and Community Support

In this article we explore the work of two after-school programs in Toronto, Ontario. Our Youth Success (OYS) is a community-based mentoring program dedicated to lowering the push-out rates of students of Spanish and/or Portuguese-speaking descent. In the Youth Speak Program (YSP), community activists use spoken word poetry and rapping as a vehicle for Black students to express their emotional lives. The data we present come from two separate studies which both used ethnographic approaches, focusing on observation and interviews with participants (Hammersley & Atkinson, 2019). Using Critical Race Theory (CRT), we examine interview data on how the pedagogical relationships developed in these spaces promote the wellbeing of Latinx and Black youth beyond academic outcomes. We argue that these spaces provide insight into the transformative possibilities of critical pedagogies for the wellbeing and healing of communities who have long been marginalized from mainstream institutions.

Transforming Online Teaching Through Relational Ways of Being

We explore the need for educators to design, implement, and assess online education for Indigenous students with intention and in a good way. As more Indigenous learners access online programs, it is essential to amplify the discussion on how post-secondary education institutions can better design educational programs and support learners through intentionally engaging in relational ways of being. Drawing from our experience delivering the Professional Project Administrator Program, we examine the significance of partnership building in enhancing cultural learning within the online space. We highlight the need for intentional faculty development initiatives and discuss the challenges that became an avenue for unlearning and educational innovation. Furthermore, we delve into the design and implementation of a holistic rubric tailored specifically to support the implementation of relational pedagogies. We hope that these learnings offer useful lessons for online teaching, emphasizing the need to foster culturally responsive environments where learners can thrive.

Понятие субъекта педагогической деятельности: философский анализ

The article delves into the philosophical analysis of the concept of the subject of pedagogical activity. The concept of the subject in the context of pedagogical activity has long been a subject of philosophical inquiry. The authors focus on the well-known principle of subject-to-subject relations, wherein both the educator and the learners are considered subjects of activity, has gained prominence in educational discourse. The authors argue that despite the attractiveness of this approach, it has certain limitations. To be considered a subject of pedagogical activity, individuals must meet specific requirements. Therefore, the authors of the article suggest that assuming all learners are a priori subjects of pedagogical activity is a flawed assumption. This article aims to provide a rationale for this thesis and spark a discussion on this topic. Much in this matter hinges on the definition of the concept of the subject of pedagogical activity. In conclusion, the concept of the subject of pedagogical activity warrants a nuanced philosophical analysis to elucidate the complexities inherent in attributing subjecthood in educational settings. By delineating the criteria for subject status and deconstructing the notion of universal subjectivity, this article contributes to the ongoing discourse on the nature of pedagogical relationships and the dynamics of agency within educational frameworks.

Adopting a Relational Pedagogy for Academic Library Internships

Adopting a Relational Pedagogy for Academic Library Internships

Nursing Students’ Perspectives on Caring Pedagogical Relationship Within the Context of Simulation: A Phenomenological Inquiry

Abstract:This phenomenological research aimed to describe and understand nursing students’ meaning of the lived experience of a caring pedagogical relationship within the context of high-fidelity clinical simulation. Being inspired by a relational emancipatory pedagogy perspective, our findings highlighted an authentic engagement of educators as the cornerstone to fostering a safe, caring, and inclusive learning space, allowing them to co-create a humanistic collaboration with students to transform their learning process. Innovative and various avenues arising from our findings have been suggested in different domains of nursing practice to promote students’ learning and develop a caring inclusive learning community within simulation centers.

Studying children’s small science and early engineering learning process to help shape their cultural identity in culturally valued play-based experience

There are no conflicts between intentional teaching and play-based learning. However, educators find it challenging to establish the pedagogical relationship between them as they struggle to conceptualise and enact their role in the play-based context. In particular, educators’ confidence level is not enough to teach science and engineering in a play-based context. However, there is an increasing demand to integrate teaching practice for STEM learning in early childhood settings. Play is a pleasure and a leading source for children’s learning and cultural maturation process as part of their social and cultural experiences, and adults’ support can enhance children’s STEM learning process in a play-based context. This paper investigates how educators’ intentional teaching plan can support children’s small science and engineering learning process in culturally valued play. A total of 50 h of video data, representing 64 children aged from 10 months to 5 years, were collected through digital video observation over a period of seven weeks in an early childhood centre in Australia. This paper uses the dialectical interactive approach to analyse a 95-min video clip of children’s (3 to 5 years of age) play in a cultural context. It is argued that educators progress their learning and confidence to teach science and engineering in play-based settings when they could choose the activity from their community culture or centre-based practice. The findings of the study provide a pedagogical model for educators, which provides a conceptual framework for STEM-based learning in a culturally valued play.