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Article Excerpt
Abstract
It is essential to establish a conceptualization for effective teaching that includes the dynamics of caring and supportive relationships, since accountability and standards alone do not ensure student achievement and success. This program description is intended to describe and illuminate that type of foundation by pulling together psychology and educational psychology theories around the shared concepts of student autonomy and intrinsic self-regulation. Student, parent, and teacher interview results are presented.
Introduction
The intention of this review was to describe the development of trust in teacher-student relationships and effectiveness in classroom management and student learning. Beyond simply holding students to high standards, this conceptualization of the problem in education and psychology (Fleisher, 2005) includes the dynamics and importance of caring relationships and student autonomy, in support of academic learning and success (Hanson & Austin, 2003; Pintrich, 2003).
For Deci and Ryan (1985, 2002), when relatedness and autonomy are present in the classroom, the intrinsic self-regulation that follows improves student learning. According to the authors, the more autonomous the individual the more intrinsic the self-regulation. Student achievement also improves when students are intrinsically motivated and when teachers provide autonomy support (Pintrich & De Groot, 1990; Reeve, Jang, Carrell, Jeon, & Barch, 2004). As a result, when students are supported in their learning and come to view academic tasks as meaningful and relevant, those students are inclined to use effective, self-regulated learning strategies that enhance learning and success in terms of test scores, grades, and future achievement (Hanson & Austin, 2003).
Theoretical Framework
From educational psychology theory (Deci & Ryan, 2002; Pintrich, 2000), self-regulation is presented in terms of autonomy, motivation, and goal-orientation. From psychological theory (Winnicott, 1965; Bowlby, 1969), autonomy is presented in terms of attachment, ego-relatedness, and the true self, since effective teaching and mentoring help students to explore their world with a sense of trust and autonomy, toward the ultimate goal of fully intrinsic self-regulation and improved academic achievement and life success. According to object relations theorists (Winnicott, 1965; Sorensen, 2005) and attachment theorists (Bowlby, 1969; Riggs & Bretz, 2006), the primary goal in relationships is to feel understood. For Bowlby, attuning to the inner experiences of others rather than merely one's own, predicts a sense of continuity and safety for those in one's care (Trusty, Ng, & Watts, 2005). For Winnicott, when individuals know that they are truly heard and understood, through a sense of ego-relatedness and support, those individuals are likely to develop a true self, rather than a false or reactive self (Shaver & Mikulincer, 2002). Even when students do master course material without supportive, attached relationships, they have missed out on other essential educational experiences (Siegel, 1999; Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000; Davis, 2003). According to Winnicott (1967), the positive result for the care receiver is "a continuity of existence that becomes a sense of existing, a sense of self, and eventually results in autonomy" (p. 28).
The California Department of Education (Hanson & Austin, 2003) and Search Institute (Benson, Leffert, Scales, & Blyth, 1998) found that caring relationships, meaningful participation, and high standards, when practiced together, predicted student academic achievement and success. As well, self-determination theorists (Deci & Ryan, 2002) reported that individuals seek not just competency in their environment, but relatedness and autonomy as well. Therefore, the...
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