Narratives of teachers' experiences of school violence and ethics of care

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT : The ethics of care perspective is based on the notion that we form relationships and that weare naturally responsive to the needs of others. In schools, caring relationships betweenteachers and learners suggests that teachers will act caringly, and attend to learners'academic, social and emotional needs. This study aimed to extend our understanding of howhigh school teachers' experiences of school violence may or will influence the enactment ofcare practices in teaching from an ethics of care perspective. I employed a qualitative,narrative research design within an interpretivist/constructivist paradigm. As a narrative studyof limited scope, this research focused on the personal experiences of four teachers, whotaught at three secondary schools in Cape Town where school violence was prevalent.Teachers' stories of their experiences of school violence, known as experience-centrednarratives, were collected by means of in-depth, semi-structured interviews according tothemes, including what it means to be teacher, to care for learners as a teacher and about thenature and effect of school violence. Data analysis occurred by means of thematicexperienced-centred narrative analysis and representative constructions of teachers'narratives.The research findings suggest that teachers can enact an ethics of care in circumstances wherethey are exposed to school violence, but that this ability is largely dependent on the strengthof the ethical self. While teachers maintain caring relationships with some learners, they candeliberately refuse to care for others. When the ethical self is maintained, teachers willbehave caringly, establish trusting relationships with learners and step into caring roles.When experiences of school violence, however, lead to the erosion of the ethical self,teachers' professional identities change, and their ways of teaching and engaging withlearners in their classrooms become negative. The erosion of the ethical self can generatefeelings of guilt that will impact teachers' efficacy beliefs about themselves as teachers. The result of resilience in teachers is a strengthening of the ethical self. When this happens, anethics of justice which is the response to school violence, can be balanced with an ethics ofcare response. Teachers who are more resilient will find a purpose and meaning when theyhave to teach learners in schools where violence occurs. This enables them to continue theirteaching career in these challenging contexts.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University