Abstract
Teacher credibility is a prerequisite of effective instruction. A credible teacher is honest, knowledgeable, and caring. Credible teachers do the right thing when no one is watching; they are in control of the learning environment, but they do this in an enthusiastic and engaging way. Credibility takes time to develop. This study investigated ways in which urban teachers develop and maintain credibility in their classrooms. Participants were 22 secondary mathematics and science teachers in their first year of teaching. The researcher used the B.E.A.R. framework developed by Riner in 2008 to interpret the results. In this framework, B stands for believability; E stands for expertise; A stands for attractive power, and R stands for relationships. Results show that the participants developed credibility by being believable, by possessing content and pedagogical content knowledge, by being in charge of the classroom in a positive way, and by developing relationships with their students.
Credibility is a prerequisite of effective instruction, and, in some cases, it takes time to develop. A credible teacher is honest, knowledgeable, and caring. This study investigated ways in which urban teachers develop and maintain credibility in their classrooms. Participants were 22 secondary mathematics and science teachers in their first year of teaching. Results show that the participants developed credibility by being believable, by possessing content and pedagogical content knowledge, by being in charge of the classroom in a positive way, and by developing relationships with their students.
Keywords
Introduction
A teacher’s classroom behavior is constantly under scrutiny by students (Teven & McCroskey, 1997). On a daily basis, teachers model through their words and actions attitudes, values, and dispositions (Finkel, 2000). According to Galloway (1976), students learn from a teacher’s nonverbal behavior as well as their verbal behavior. Similarly, Teven and McCroskey stated, “the behavior patterns of teachers affect the behavior patterns of students” (p. 1). Students can generally “read” the teacher’s behavior, and they either respect the teacher as the authority source, or they challenge the teacher constantly.
Teacher credibility has long been considered one of the most important attributes in the instructional process, having a significant influence on teacher–student relationships. Credibility takes time and work to develop (Killian, 2017). Generally, a credible teacher is honest, knowledgeable, and caring. Credible teachers motivate their students; they have their students’ best interest at heart and do the right thing when no one is watching (Riner, 2008). Credible teachers are in control of the learning environment, but they do this in an enthusiastic and engaging way (Riner, 2008). On the other hand, students are less likely to learn from a teacher who lacks credibility.
Due to its impact on the overall classroom environment, teacher credibility became the subject of investigation for researchers, classroom teachers, and educators many years ago. In this article, I first attempt to define credibility, as it is understood by novice secondary teachers, as well as analyze the ways these teachers have developed and maintained credibility in their classrooms. The following research question guided this study: how is teacher credibility developed through believability, expertise, attractive power, and relationships with students?
The following review of literature analyzed definitions and attributes of credibility, and it investigated a few credibility frameworks.
Literature Review
Across the years, many researchers have investigated what credibility is, they have analyzed its attributes, and developed measurements to assess the degree of teacher credibility. In essence, credibility is the ability to be believed. L. Cooper (1932) found that one of the oldest definitions of credibility belongs to Aristotle, who conceptualized credibility as a receiver’s perception of a speaker’s intelligence, character, and goodwill. More recently, Gili (2013) perceived credibility as “a personal quality that distinguishes those who are consistent, honest, sincere, and trustworthy” (p. 2). Credibility was further defined as teacher believability (Banfield et al., 2006; Gray et al., 2011; McCroskey, 1998) or as an attitude or subjective perception (P. J. Cooper & Simonds, 1999; Kougl, 1997). In a similar vein, Riner (2008) defined teacher credibility as “the ability to inspire learning and not just require the actions of learning” (p. 1).
Researchers considered credibility one of the most important teacher attributes in the instructional process (McCroskey et al., 2004), teaching evaluation (Teven & McCroskey, 1997), teacher–student relationships (Myers & Martin, 2006), classroom justice (Chory, 2007), and in-class and out-of-class interaction with students (Myers, 2004; Nadler & Nadler, 2001). Similarly, researchers (Frymier & Thompson, 1992; Pogue & AhYun, 2006) found a strong correlation between teacher credibility and student motivation: students who perceive their teachers as credible are more motivated to learn; whereas when teachers lack credibility, students have difficulty learning (Beatty & Behnke, 1980). According to Beatty and Behnke, “Students simply do not accept information from sources lacking credibility” (p. 56).
More recently, Kuan et al. (2017) concluded that students will not accept information from a teacher who lacks credibility; however, “if a teacher is perceived to have high credibility, it increases student’s motivation in class, enhances cognitive learning and overall academic performance, and helps the teacher to gain students’ respect” (p. 21). Russ et al. (2002) summed up beautifully the significance of teacher credibility, when they argued that credibility is a necessary prerequisite for effective instruction.
Across the years, three main attributes of credibility have been identified. Although bearing different names, these attributes revolved around competence (qualification, expertness, intelligence, and authoritativeness); trustworthiness (character, sagacity, safety, and honesty); and goodwill/caring (intent toward receiver). Although many frameworks have been developed around these attributes, only three will be analyzed in this review, as they are comprehensive of all of the attributes described above. Moreover, most of these frameworks overlap.
One of the most commonly used frames is the one developed by McCroskey (1966). As a result of collaboration with Teven and Young across the years, McCroskey updated the original credibility framework. The more recent framework, developed in collaboration with Teven in 1999 is three-dimensional (3D), comprising the following attributes: competence, trustworthiness, and perceived caring. Competence refers to the teacher’s perceived knowledge or expertise in a subject matter. This expertise transfers into the classroom teaching (Teven & McCroskey, 1997). In turn, trustworthiness is the perceived goodness of the teacher, and it is accounted for the extent to which a teacher is perceived by the students as honest (McCroskey, 1998). In turn, perceived caring stands for the students’ perception of their teacher in terms of how much s/he recognizes their values, well-being, and interests (McCroskey & Teven, 1999).
A caring teacher shows understanding, empathy, and responsiveness. Teven and McCroskey (1997) defined empathy as “the capacity to see a situation from the point of view of another person and feel how they feel about it” (p. 2). In turn, understanding is the ability to comprehend another person’s ideas, feelings, and needs: “when students observe a teacher exhibiting such understanding, they maybe more likely to perceive the teacher as caring about them” (p. 2). Finally, responsiveness is exhibited “when teachers react to student needs or problems quickly, when the teacher is attentive to the student, when the teacher listens to what the student says” (McCroskey, 1992, p. 111). A responsive teacher modifies their behavior throughout a class depending on how the students are reacting in that class. Ultimately, motivation is increased when students see teachers behaving in positive ways toward them.
The second frame discussed in this review is another 3D frame developed by Gili in 2013. According to Gili, there are three roots that reflect teacher credibility expertise, values, and reciprocity and trust. The first root, namely, the subject-matter expertise is four-dimensional (4D): first, there is the disciplinary expertise (i.e., includes skills and practical abilities); the “ability to teach” is the second (i.e., the set of teaching skills and methodologies that enable teachers to teach effectively); then there is communicative expertise (i.e., the communication methods that best meet the educational goals and the needs of the students); and finally, there is the dramaturgic competence (i.e., the teacher’s ability to be in the limelight daily and exposed to others’ gazes, expectations, and possibly judgments).
The second credibility root is based on values. In essence, this is trustworthiness. According to Gili (2013), there are two types of values that are often intertwined: professional values and the values that guide relationships with students. Professional values refer to the teacher’s perceived honesty or cynicism in teaching. Honest teachers identify with the role they play, “feeling that it corresponds to our own motivation and abilities, it contributes to our personal fulfillment” (p. 8). Conversely, cynical teachers are distanced and disengaged from their role, and they mainly teach for extrinsic purposes (e.g., salary or social prestige). As such, a motivated teacher is instantly more credible. Second, Gili discussed the values that guide teachers’ relationships with their students. Credible teachers are consistent and reliable in applying rules, expectations, and consequences. Moreover, credible teachers do not show favoritism, they do what is right regardless of the student.
The last root of credibility discussed by Gili (2013) is called reciprocity and trust. Reciprocity manifests itself in two inter-related aspects. The first aspect is the students’ perception that the teacher cares about them and their well-being (McCroskey, 1998; Teven & McCroskey, 1997). From this perspective, credible teachers have more than expertise in content and pedagogy; they listen to their students and are interested in them. The second aspect of reciprocity is mutual fiduciary relationships. According to Bellini (2012), the teacher gains trust if they are able to trust their students and help them grow. In turn, trust has been defined as “a device for coping with others’ freedom” (Gambetta, 1988, pp. 218–219), and it is related to the idea of a “bet” on the other’s freedom, which is the essence of educational relationships (Gili).
The last credibility framework discussed here was developed by Riner (2008), and it is 4D. To frame credibility, Riner used the B.E.A.R. acronym. According to him, credibility is developed through believability; expertise; attractive power; and positive relationships with students. Believability stands for the teacher’s trustworthiness. Generally, students value the teacher’s knowledge and they take what teachers say as a fact. This is why Riner urged teachers to be honest when they do not know the answers, in order to not perpetuate misunderstandings. Moreover, credible teachers do the right thing when no one is watching, and they are dependable and stay true to their word. According to Riner, “Students take for granted that the information, assurances, and promises given by the teacher are true and the teacher will honor commitments and provide honest information” (p. 8).
Expertise is the teacher’s knowledge of subject-matter and instructional strategies. Knowledgeable teachers stay up to date on their subject and attend professional developments to enhance their repertoire of strategies. These teachers develop ways to practice new learning to mastery. Most importantly, knowledgeable teachers have expertise “in how to understand students and their needs particularly in their affective development” (Riner, 2008, p. 8). Third, attractive power is reflected by a teacher’s ability to be in control of the environment in a positive way. An enthusiastic teacher has the power to motivate their students, by engaging them in learning. A credible teacher models appropriate behaviors. Riner further believed that credible teachers “help students feel powerful and safe in the classroom . . . they help students feel like they belong” (p. 1). Moreover, Riner urged teachers to be empathetic, as everyone can have bad days.
Finally, teacher credibility is determined by the relationships they develop with their students. Such relationships take time to develop; they are beneficial to all students, but in particular for the students with special needs: “having a relationship of caring, special understanding, and a willingness to go the extra mile is essential for those who have the most difficulty in learning and those with difficulty in conforming to classroom behavior expectations,” (Riner, 2008, p. 8).
A summary of the above mentioned credibility frameworks can be seen in Table 1 (below). In this study, I used Riner’s (2008) framework to interpret the data for the following reasons: first, as I had the pleasure to work with Dr. Riner, he exposed me to his credibility frame, which I came to appreciate and use it in my own classrooms when teaching about credibility. My students had to define credibility and develop strategies for its four attributes, believability, expertise, attractive power, and relationships. Finally, I used Riner’s framework, as it is comprehensive of all attributes discussed in the above mentioned frameworks.
Teacher Credibility Frameworks.
Methods
Context and Participants
The participants of this study were 22 mathematics and science teachers in their first year of teaching. All participants graduated from an urban graduate Teacher Residency program from a mid-sized university in the southeastern United States, where the researcher taught. As the researcher, I had also previously taught all three Cohorts as they were undergoing the program, and upon completion, I asked all former students to participate in the study. There were13 females and 9 males of a mean age of 30. In terms of ethnicity, 13 participants were Caucasians, 7 African American, 1 Asian, and 1 Latina. Thirteen were mathematics teachers, and nine were science teachers. The participants belonged to three different cohorts of the graduate program: Cohort 1 (who started teaching in the Fall 2016), Cohort 2 (who started teaching in the Fall 2017), and Cohort 3 (who started teaching in the Fall 2018).
Measures, Procedures, and Data Analysis
The researcher used two instruments in this study. The first instrument was a teacher interview developed by the researcher. The participants answered 17 open-ended questions directed at classroom management. In addition, the researcher used a questionnaire to collect demographic data from participants. Both instruments were administered at the beginning of the first year of teaching. As this was a longitudinal study, the researcher interviewed the teachers in Cohort 1 in 2016 for the first time. In 2017, the researcher returned to interview the teachers in Cohorts 1 and 2, and in 2018, the researcher interviewed the teachers in all three cohorts. As the researcher has obtained more data from Cohort 1 than from the other cohorts, they decided to only use the data collected in the first year of teaching for conformity.
The researcher conducted a content analysis of all interviews to identify the approaches the teachers used to manage their classrooms. Content analysis describes and quantifies data in a systematic way (Sandelowski, 1995). The researcher used inductive content analysis to classify words that had similar meanings into categories (Cavanagh, 1997). Four categories were created, according to Riner’s framework discussed above: believability; expertise; attractive power; and relationships with students. Interpreting the interview data, the researcher decided what statements belonged to the same category (Dey, 1993; Elo & Kyngäs, 2008).
Results
Developing Credibility Through Believability
Credible teachers are believable and consistent; they do what they say and they follow through. For Adam, to be believable meant: “to always do what you say. If I say I’m going to do something, I am going to do it. And if I say I’m going to do another thing I have to make sure I keep going.” Similarly, Sally shared: “When you tell your students you’re going to do something, do it.” On one hand, Diane talked about the need to follow through to remain believable: “I think if I say I am going to send you out of the room, I have to follow through . . . not keep giving one more chance.” On the other hand, Irene confessed that being consistent was a work in progress, “I’m still working on not promising things you can’t deliver aspect of credibility.”
Credible teachers show due diligence and integrity. They perform their duties to the best of their abilities even when no one is watching. According to Tammy: A credible teacher is the one who has integrity, who does what needs to be done in the best interest of the kids and not so much for people to pat you on the back. You just do what needs to be done because it should be, because it’s the right thing to do when nobody is watching. Doing the right thing based on the needs of the kids.
Similarly, Sally reflected that a credible teacher always had the best interest of her students in mind, even if that sometimes clashed with the district needs: Sometimes you’re walking the balance between what administration and/or the district want and what you know your students need. And you have to sometimes feel a little stealthy so you can give your students what they need . . . within reason. For example today I printed off power points for my students. They’re not ESE students, it just takes them a little longer to do stuff.
Credible teachers are genuine and open with their class. When talking about honesty, Irene shared her personal story about being genuine with her students about her medical condition: I did not tell students about my memory problems, and the cancer I had. I get random questions sometimes, like, you don’t know my name, do you? And I am like, I know what work you do, and where you sit. And I have to explain why I only know 1/3 of the kids’ names. That’s part of credibility, that’s part of starting back up and telling them just why my memory is so bad.
Dawn also reflected on how getting real with the students about certain issues helped build her credibility: I think being open to the class but not overly vulnerable helps. For example, I’m from the Virgin Islands, so the hurricane was very overwhelming to me. So just talking to my kids about that it was like, hey, I apologize if I seem a little quick to tell you to do something because all of that is on my mind. Having these conversations helps.
Possible, Chris summed up the best the benefit of being open with the students: Kids need to respect you, and you can’t expect them to respect you right off the bat. If you are genuine and honest with them, and if you give them a structure and tell them this is what we are going to do and stick to it, that’s how you show credibility.
Finally, credible teachers showed their students they cared about them, like Sam did: They are not going to care until they get some kind of indication that you actually care about what they are doing . . . including misbehaving. If you let them misbehave and there is no consequence, that shows that you do not care.
Developing Credibility Through Expertise: Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy
The participants reflected on the importance of knowing one’s content and being able to transfer this knowledge into their teaching.
Content knowledge
When talking about content knowledge, the participants believed it was important to have mastery of the content, to be able to back up this mastery with their credentials, as well as to admit when you do not know the answers to student questions. A credible teacher knows their subject. Initially, teachers may develop their credibility by sharing their credentials, like Greg and Andrea did. Greg stated: “I built this credibility starting in the beginning with telling them what I’ve done school wise,” while Andrea reflected: I told them my credentials. I always loved Math and I was always tutoring in high school and when I got to college I majored in it. Now, I’m working on my master degree. So if you have any questions or you don’t understand, tell me so I try to approach it in a different manner.
Luke, on the contrary, started building his credibility through sharing his background: “I’ve been here, I’ve done this, I’ve seen that . . . so I look at my career path and how I got here . . . the success that I have.”
According to Greg, knowledgeable teachers should back up their credentials, “A credible teacher it is not just the degrees that are on the wall but how you can back them up.” Teachers maintain credibility by knowing what they are talking about, like in the case of Greg:
Both Greg and Mitchell showed mastery of the content by being able to answer student questions: Mitchell shared: “The first part of credibility is knowing what you are teaching well, being able to answer the questions they ask you- that no one would think of but a kid. That builds credibility.” In turn, Greg shared: Students will ask all sorts of off the wall questions, and I always tell them, if you want to know something feel free to disrupt class because I want you to know things. I have kids asking me random science or health things because they know I know a lot about these things. Just building that line of questioning helps maintain credibility.
Courtney stated that mastery of content should be second nature for teachers; conversely, she believed that its absence could damage a teacher’s credibility very fast: “The biggest thing for credibility is knowing the content, so if I don’t show the kids I have mastery the content, that’s the quickest way to lose credibility.” Furthermore, the participants believed that it was important to admit when they did not know the answers to questions. Stephen confessed: Be honest, because they will smell lies a million miles away. If you tell them something and it’s wrong, they’re going to remember it the wrong way for a long time and it’ll do them a disservice in the end. So just be honest with them and tell them you will get back to them with it and then do that.
Similarly, Mitchell shared: The whole idea of science is that we don’t know everything; so if I don’t know something, I will be honest. So if they ask me something that I don’t know, I’ll usually look it up when I get home or have them try to look it up so they can figure out the answer on their own. And then we have a little chat about that.
Sally echoed: “If I don’t know something, I admit it. I tell my students that I don’t know, but I will google it and we will figure it out.”
In the same vein, the participants believed that to maintain credibility, they should admit when they make mistakes. For example, Irene said: I admit mistakes as soon as I make them and sometimes when kids catch them, I actually give them points. I got very little pride in admitting mistakes. They are used to such strictness and people not admitting mistakes that I am worried that they see it as a weakness. Like, she is not very good. I would much rather be this way though.
Similarly, Andrea reflected: On the off chance that I do make a mistake, I own up to it. Oh, my goodness, I am so sorry. This is what I told you not to do. Understand that I am human and I make mistakes. You are going to make mistakes, but know how to catch it. And you catch it by checking your work at the end, so I do that.
Pedagogical content knowledge
The participants believed that expertise is also shown by being able to transfer the knowledge of content into teaching. Pedagogical content knowledge was shown in the participants’ preparedness on a daily basis and their confidence that they knew what they were doing. Moreover, pedagogical content knowledge was measured by their students’ results. Ethan underlined that the most important thing for a teacher is to be prepared: Developing credibility is hugely dependent on your lesson planning and the front load portion of your work. If students have homework, we have homework. That shows that we have to do a lesson plan that is structured, so that we know each and every step along the way, and we can anticipate what students are going to ask, what misconceptions they have, so that we already have our pre responses ready.
Preparedness builds confidence. For example, Chris stated: The students need to know that I am not just some idiot, that I know what I am doing proficiently. Students have to trust that they can learn from me. I think that is what it takes to maintain credibility.
Dawn echoed: “One thing is just knowing the content and being able to deliver the content and not being confused about what I am presenting to the class.” Confident teachers explain things in a way their students understand them. According to Stephen, “one of the biggest things about credibility is for students to know that you know what you are talking about. And try and put it in a way that they understand,” while Anna commented that her knowledge of science should be reflected in her students’ understanding. Similarly, confident teachers can answer student questions, and they make the content meaningful, like Sally did: “I talk things through with them. So they know that I really do know what I am talking about. I try to bring real world examples in. I use manipulatives with them so that they can actually see it.”
Similarly, Greg reflected: I think most of my credibility comes from my ability to answer questions and to explain things they always wondered about but never really put into words, like things about the origin of all of your different traits, things about twins, etc. For example, they will ask me how come me and my brother look so similar? I can answer it in a way that they understand. When I answer questions like that or when I address the thoughts and concerns in a really deep and easy to understand way, they’re like, Wow, he really does know his stuff.
The lack of confidence is generally associated with the lack of knowledge. Ethan stated: If you look like you don’t know what you are doing, the students pick up on that, they are not going to pay attention. What are you going to learn from somebody who does not know what they are doing?
Adam reflected: You don’t want to go to the board and make mistakes over and over again, as students are going to recognize, Mr. S., do you even know what you are doing right now? You have to make sure you know what you are doing on the board and have them develop confidence in you.
For Chris and Carmen, their students’ achievement was a measure of their pedagogical content knowledge. That meant teaching for understanding and assessing what was being taught, like Chris did: When students see district tests, exams, or even your quizzes, they need to feel, yes, he did teach me this. I may be extending my thinking a little bit outside the box and put a few things together. But yes, he did show me how to do that so I can at least move in that direction. I think that is what being credible means.
For Carmen, pedagogical content knowledge meant knowing her students and trying things on her own: I have data to back or to drive what I do in my classroom and the reason I do it. If I’m being told, you need to do it this way and I know it’s not going to work, I’m going to gain my credibility by trying it my way and showing the data that proves that it does work.
Developing Credibility Through Attractive Power
The teacher determines the mood of the classroom. The participants built their credibility using their power in an “attractive” way, fostering a positive classroom environment. All participants agreed that to be believable, they needed to develop a teacher persona. For Luke, this meant looking professional: “I make sure I look professional every day,” while for Courtney, it started with “your presence and body language and the rules you set from day one, like your expectations. Also the way you hold yourself in the classroom.” Cole’s teacher persona was that of a cool teacher, but he had yet to determine what made him cool: A lot of students come to me and say, you are a cool teacher. Does that mean that I give them very little work or easy work? Or do they like it because I don’t stress them? Or am I cool in the sense that I’ve built a relationship with them such that . . . they believe in me as a teacher figure?
To be credible, the teacher needs to be taken seriously, as Courtney shared: “Now I can prove to them that I am the one in charge. This is another way to get credibility because if they don’t take me seriously, it doesn’t matter how well I know the content.” Irene struggled with this aspect: “Some of that is respect, and I get a lot of backtalk and I know it’s how I set the room, and when someone is misbehaving I get jokey and that is not such a good idea.” In turn, Melody handled this by being the teacher, not the friend: You are not their friend. I apparently don’t smile a lot in class. That is not like I am trying to be mean or anything. It is because I am still trying to find myself in this whole teaching thing.
A credible teacher is also fair in grading and managing misbehavior. Fair teachers have clear expectations of assignments, so students are not surprised by the grade. Stated Chris: They have to understand that they can trust you in terms not just what you are going to teach them, but the grade that they are going to get from you, that it is not going to be based on some sort of ethereal idea, there is concrete structures that you have in place. You get what you get, and if you don’t get it, you need to take responsibility for that.
Similarly, Mitchell stated that he graded his students on a regular basis, “I try to do it every day, or at least every week, and that also helps with credibility, because if they know what their grade is, how they do in class, they are not surprised.” Perhaps Mary summed up the best fairness in grading when she said: I am fair by making sure that I am grading you on all of the same things. Even if you guys do the same thing, there is a participation grade so that is what changes things. They will whine about it for about 5 minutes. Then they will realize that I am not changing my mind. They will realize, as much as I need to be fair to the other students, I need to be fair to them as well.
Fair teachers are consistent in applying consequences when students misbehave. Said Melody: When I correct people, I correct everybody. I try not to show favoritism. When someone who is normally a good student is doing something, I will get on to them as much as I will get onto someone who is not.
Similarly, Sam reflected on the need to be consistent: “If you let them misbehave and there is no consequence, that is sending the wrong signal as well. It shows that you do not care.” Alyssa also showed consistency in communicating with parents: “I keep in contact with the parents so the students know that no matter whether you are behaving or misbehaving . . . your parent will hear about it eventually.”
Attractive power also manifests when teachers make learning fun. For example, Mitchell stated that his students laughed in his classroom, If there is a funny moment in class, then I let it happen, and then we get back to it. With some of my 9th grade classes, we were talking about proteins and someone asked about nuts, and I said nuts, and they started laughing. I was like, ok, take a few seconds, finish laughing, be 9th graders, and then let’s get back to work. Simple things like that.
Yet other participants manifested their attractive power by being “both kind and clear,” like Mary, “firm and consistent,” like Courtney, or disciplined, like Melody: “I think they would say that I am pretty disciplined in a lot of things.”
Developing Credibility Through Building Relationships With Students
The participants fostered relationships with their students by (a) getting to know their students and (b) showing students they cared about them.
Know your students
This is how Greg captured the essence of building relationships: Relationships start with names. Knowing names is essential, and I always make sure I’m clearly upset when I don’t get their name right at the very beginning so then they’re like, wow, he really wants to know who I am.
The participants got to know their students initially via student surveys. These surveys were then followed by conversations with students about their lives and/or by ice-breaking games. Most participants admitted that they surveyed their students in the beginning of the semester: “I did the interest inventories at the beginning of the year. Then we play a few games like two truths and a lie,” said Carmen, while Sally reflected: “I use a student survey to ask them about themselves and then when I see them, I ask them, how is your day going? How are you doing in your other classes?” Mitchell also used an interest survey, which he then read “trying to remember as much as I could, and then from that point on it mostly has been conversations, talking to students at tutoring, or during independent work.”
Chris and Greg shared how they used the information from the surveys: “I do an interest inventory, and then I bring up some of those things in the lessons, so if they say they’re really into football I’ll put a lot of football references,” shared Greg. In turn, Chris used an online survey to ask his students personal questions, such as what are they into outside of school, what is their (least) favorite subject, what is the best way they learn, what kind of music/movies do they like, and so on. After surveying the students, he used this information to bond with them: Using the surveys I do a poll of the songs that they are into and I make a playlist. I find clean versions of these songs online and we listen to them while we are doing work. It’s random and anonymous but at the same time I notice when a kid is like, hey, I put that on a survey and he actually brought it up.
Other teachers talked to their students to learn about their interests. For example, Melody had casual conversations with students about pop culture: “I have talked about football and stuff . . . with some of my kids. You know, just like pop culture types of stuff that are going on.” Similarly, Ethan found out that when asking specific questions, students would open up and share more: I ask specific students hey, what did you do this weekend? This is good especially with those students who might not talk as much, as they may open up, start asking questions, or you’d be getting them to do their work.
To bond with their students, some participants shared about their personal lives. Said Carmen: “I showed them a Powerpoint about me . . . this year I get to discuss how I just got married and they’re very interested to hear about that,” while Stephen reflected: “I share things about myself when I have a free moment if they ask, as long as it’s reasonable.” In turn, Tammy commented: “This year I’ve made it a point to tell them about something I did over the weekend, or ask them what they did, for about a minute or two.”
Equally important in building relationships with students, Cole tried to understand his students’ culture: “I understand that the way I think things are right may not be necessarily so. I try not to get frazzled by differences in modes of communication as well as responses to authority,” while Adam tried to understand “where each of my students is coming from and to understand each of my students as separate individuals.” Sally also talked about the importance of knowing her students at an individual level: I’ve noticed that the louder students tend to get more of my attention than my quiet ones. So this year I focus on my quiet ones and make sure I know, yeah you’re quiet and you’re focused, fantastic! But I need to know what’s going on at home so when you do have a bad day, I can help you with that.
Show your students you care
The old adage, “Don’t smile until Christmas” has no place in the current school environment; showing students that you love them bears priceless fruit. Greeting students at the door, paying attention to when they are absent, or asking them questions about their weekend are all signs of caring. For example, Courtney greeted her students at the door with a friendly, smiley face: “How are you doing? Good morning . . . or if we are coming back from the weekend, I’ll be like: How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun?” Similarly, Cole asked his students about their weekend, “talking with them about other things than the work we are doing. For example, I would ask them, did you go to the game? Did you watch any of the football games,” while Adam took interest in their absences: “I try to pay attention as much as possible when students aren’t there, so when I see them next, I ask, hey Taylor, I missed you yesterday, what happened?” In addition, Alyssa paid attention to how her students felt as they entered her classroom: “So some students . . . if they’ve had a hard day or they come in and they’re not smiling, I kind of go out of my way to make a joke or make them want to smile.”
Teachers showed they cared when they gently corrected student behaviors, like Anna did, by, “just letting them know I do this for your benefit.” Other teachers talked about allowing second chances: “I try to understand where the kids are coming from and just have constant grace and mercy every day . . . Allow for do-overs,” stated Adam, while Alyssa echoed: “I always give them a chance to redeem themselves if they’re doing something wrong.”
Caring teachers rewarded their students for good behavior and academics. To acknowledge her students, Sally used positive referrals “I send a referral to the guidance counselor or to the principal to say these students were amazing for me and this is why. So they can be recognized by that individual.” Similarly, she used positive phone calls: “The parents are so funny, they’re like Why are you calling? I’m like, I just wanted to tell you that your child is amazing, and they’re like wait, what?”
Other teachers, like Mary, rewarded her students with hugs: “I tell them from the very beginning that I love them. I give them all hugs. I can’t tell you how starved some of them are for that positive touch.” More rewards consisted of praise, encouragement, or points that students redeemed for prizes. While Chris used the ticket system to reward his students, Alyssa explained that she used a school-wide reward system: “Positive behaviors don’t go unnoticed, those students receive Hero points and some extra credit on participation if they were exceptionally well that day.”
Teachers also showed they cared about their students by being part of their lives. This meant having lunch with students, like Greg, Dawn, and Luke did. Greg explained: “Kids come into the classroom for lunch. It started for tutoring; now they come and hang out. I think it really lets them know that I actually want you guys around me, you guys are great people.” Similarly, Luke reflected: “Right now I go eat lunch with them sometimes. We also have a point scale system were we give parties based on points. We have a pizza party for my class tomorrow so that builds relationships.”
On the contrary, teachers bonded with their students by attending extracurricular activities. Anna said: “I’m trying to go to more extracurricular activities. I’m just trying to seem interested in those,” while Dawn added: “I ask for the schedules of my kids who play sports, so I can try to get out for that stuff.” Moreover, Sam coached football: “I coach. I have about 10-15 football and basketball players in my classes.”
Discussions and Conclusions
Credibility takes time to develop (Killian, 2017). In some cases, students respect the teachers as authoritative figures from the get-go. In other cases, teachers need to work on establishing their credibility, as students will not respect their authority on principle (Hogan, 2018). Teachers develop credibility by being believable, by possessing content and pedagogical content knowledge, by being in charge of the classroom in a positive way, and by developing relationships with their students.
Firstly, teachers develop believability by staying true to their word, like Adam and Sally did (Killian, 2017). Moreover, consistency and follow through are key component of credibility, as in the case of Sally, who was successful in being consistent; on the contrary, Irene stated that she was still working on being more consistent. Believable teachers performed their duties to the best of their ability, and they had the best interest of their students in mind, like Tammy and Sally stated. Last but not least, believable teachers were open with their students and they expressed emotions, without being overly emotional, like Chris, Dawn, and Irene discussed.
Secondly, credible teachers knew their stuff. One cannot teach what one does not know (Shulman, 1986), so content knowledge is perceived as second nature to teaching. Shulman defined content knowledge as the “amount and organization of knowledge per se in the mind of the teacher,” (p. 9). Credible teachers knew what they were talking about. This knowledge was backed up by their background and their credentials, as Luke, Greg, and Courtney stated. Credible teachers showed a deep understanding of the content and were able to answer their students’ off-the-wall questions (Greg, Mitchell). And in those cases, when they could not answer these questions, credible teachers were honest and searched for the answers with their students (Stephen, Sally, and Mitchell). Even more importantly, credible teachers owned their mistakes, modeling for their students that mistakes were opportunities for growth (Irene and Andrea).
Ball (2003) argued that content knowledge largely influenced teachers’ ability to use curriculum effectively and to adopt teaching strategies that enhance learning. Shulman defined pedagogical content knowledge as the teachers’ interpretations and transformations of subject-matter knowledge in the context of facilitating student learning, and he beautifully summed up pedagogical content knowledge, by saying “Those who understand, teach” (p. 14). Credible teachers had an equally deep knowledge of pedagogy, being able to teach for understanding (Greg and Sally). When teachers were prepared, they felt confident, and this confidence showed in their teaching, as Ethan, Chris, and Dawn believed.
Thirdly, the teacher set the mood of the classroom. Ginott (1972) beautifully expressed the degree of power held by teachers, by saying: I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.
When teachers used this power in a positive way, they fostered environments conducive to learning, developing communities of learners. The teacher models on a daily basis. Finkel (2000) called this “teaching with your mouth shut,” referring to the fact that we teach not only important content—when we lecture—but also attitudes and dispositions. Consequently, the classroom becomes what the teacher models. A credible teacher looks the part (they have a professional appearance), and they act the part (there is congruence between their voice, body language, and directions). When this happened, teachers were taken seriously (Cole, Luke, and Courtney). Moreover, credible teachers were fair graders (Chris, Mary, and Mitchell) and classroom managers (Melody, Sam, and Alyssa), not playing favorites but applying consequences in a consistent way.
Finally, and possibly the most important aspect of teaching, credible teachers develop relationships with their students to ensure student success. According to Rimm–Kaufman and Sandilos (2018), developing and maintaining successful relationships with students has “important, positive and long-lasting implications for both students’ academic and social development” (p. 1). Credible teachers made efforts to learn about their students (i.e., who they are as cultural beings and who they are as learners). To develop successful relationships, teachers learned about their students’ interests and they use this information in their classroom instruction, to appeal to their students’ motivation (Chris, Greg, and Sally). Equally significant, credible teachers learned about their students’ culture (Cole and Adam). Moreover, teachers showed they cared about their students by attending extracurricular activities (Anna and Dawn), eating lunch with their students (Luke, Dawn, and Greg), or coaching different sports (Sam). Finally, caring teachers welcome students back to class every day (Courtney, Taylor, and Sally).
Maxwell (2014) was absolutely right when he stated, “Students don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Showing students you care about their well-being and academic success needs to be explicit, especially when some students are starved for such displays of affection. Noddings (2002) urged teachers to model caring: “Those who care about others in the justice sense must keep in mind that the objective is to ensure that caring actually occurs. Caring-about is empty if it does not culminate in caring relations” (pp. 23–24). Ultimately, caring about students is essential in being an effective teacher.
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
