The Teacher-Student Relationship: The Importance of Developing Trust and Fostering Emotional Intelligence in the Classroom

A research paper submitted in conformity with the requirements For the degree of Master of Teaching Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of TorontoThe purpose of this project is to examine how the teacher-student relationship influences the development of trust and emotional intelligence in the elementary classroom. Although there is a great deal of research on the importance of building meaningful teacher-student relationships, very few studies provide clearly defined strategies on how to build trust in the classroom and how to help students explore and express themselves in an appropriate manner. To examine this hypothesis 45 minute interviews were conducted with two experienced teachers in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), both with over 20 years in elementary education. The first participant has been a special education teacher for the past five years. The second participant is a recent retiree with 40 years of experience in teaching. 11 interview questions were posed to determine how teachers view and approach of the concept of building trust, and to explore the strategies used to foster emotional intelligence. Analysis of the interview responses indicated that teacher authenticity and predictability were the most important factors in getting students to trust and believe in their teacher. The findings also suggested the following: validating student feelings fosters trust and emotional intelligence; good classroom management is contingent on a trusting environment; and student willingness to take risks, make mistakes, and say “I don’t get it!" when they don’t understand a certain concept improves their learning