Interpretations of the Meaning of Care

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how caring relationships are created and maintained between middle school students and their teachers. Through conducting interviews, holding focus group sessions, and making class-room observations, urban students’ perceptions of caring relationships with teachers are revealed. Open and axial coding of transcribed tapes and field notes led to findings suggesting that teachers are seen as caring when they know their students well, provide personalized leadership for their students, teach to understanding and are academically helpful, and hold high expectations for behavior and achievement. Clearly, these urban students felt it was important for teachers to care. Questions are raised for further investigation on the issues of power and control in the urban classroom.