Teachers set the tone: a pilot study of student perspectives of psychological safety in secondary school

Although much is known about psychological safety in education, there is still much to be understood about student perspectives of psychological safety in secondary schools. This mixed methods study employed a phenomenological theoretical perspective to investigate school student experiences and perspectives of psychological safety and the implications for pastoral care for teachers through a pilot survey (n = 78) and focus group interviews (n = 14). A main research outcome was the phenomenological mapping of psychologically safe and unsafe experiences for a group of Year 10 school students. Study findings show that when students feel psychologically safe, they are more likely to put effort into their schoolwork. Students will only speak up and seek help when they feel confident to do so. Not all learning behaviours that are indicative of psychological safety in adult workplaces were evident in a secondary school context. These findings reveal how to engender psychological safety through teacher pastoral care to prepare school students for future work.