What do Teachers do to Show They Care? Learning From the Voices of Early Adolescents

This mixed methods study examined how middle school students (ages 11–13) in middle-class neighborhoods Western Canada characterized a caring teacher. Specifically, qualitative content analysis was conducted on 199 sixth and seventh grade students’ written responses to the question “What are three things that teachers do show they care?” Guided by recent work area of mindfulness teaching, we identified 19 themes: one categorized as General Teaching (e.g., “They teach”), 18 were grouped into thematic categories associated with mindful teaching: Calm calm/not reactive), Clear democratic communication), Kind empathy). In their descriptions teachers, almost all (97.5%) used themes, while many themes (41%); fewer using (13.6%) or (10.6%) themes. Chi square analyses revealed girls more likely mention compared boys, boys use specific nurturance helpfulness. Additional demographic differences also explored. research adds growing body studies aimed at elucidating role teaching student-teacher relationships, particularly from perspectives early adolescents.