Students' perceptions on the emotional support given by non-pastoral care subject teachers

Abstract

Presented in this research are students' perceptions on whether non-pastoral care subject teachers offer emotional support to those students with emotional difficulties. This study was carried out in a Boys' Secondary School in Malta. In order to gather this information I made use of Focus Groups with four different groups of students. Each group of students fell within a different age group. I also gathered information through semi-structured interviews with the following non-pastoral care subject teachers: Design and Technology teacher, English Language teacher, Home Economics teacher, Maltese Language teacher, Mathematics Teacher and Science teacher. The findings revealed that teacher-student relationships based on good communication skills and ample levels of trust are imperative in building the right environment for emotional support. However, results also reveal that emotional support highly depends on whether teachers are willing to offer emotional support to their students or not. This demonstrates that both pastoral care and non-pastoral care subject teachers are capable of offering emotional support to their students. This research also illustrates that improved students' behaviour, enjoyment of the school experience and academic success are among the benefits which students attain thanks to teachers' emotional support.