Emotional Safety and the Evolving Reader: Perceptions of Teachers, Students and Parents
Mar 20, 2024 | Views:209530 |
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Office of Research, Impact and Postgraduate Studies
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Emotional Safety and the Evolving Reader: Perceptions of Teachers, Students and Parents
by Mr Roland Sealy
Students learn best when they are in environments in which they feel safe, supported, and accepted. For many evolving readers, however, this environment may not exist in their classroom. Consequently, students with reading difficulties experience levels of stress in the classroom that may impact their growth as readers.
This study aimed to explore the perceptions of the main stakeholders in education on the impact the classroom environment might have on struggling readers. An exploratory sequential mixed methods research design was utilised for the study, which explored the perceptions of teachers, students and parents, as they engaged and participated in a community of learning, conducted in three phases. The first qualitative phase of data collection was carried out via semi-structured interviews, dyadic interviews and focus groups. Qualitative data from focus group and interview participants' responses were analysed using an interpretive approach to establish how teachers, students, and parents perceived emotional safety, and its importance to the evolving reader. Results from Phase 1 were used to modify a survey instrument before the implementation of Phase 2.
The second phase of data collection involved the administration of the modified survey instrument. Findings of the survey questionnaires were analysed using a combination of descriptive and inferential statistics. The final phase was an integration of the findings of the preceding phases, where the results were analysed for complementarity, divergence, or convergence. The integration of paradigms was done in the analysis of Research Question Four, which asked: In what ways did interviews with participants elucidate quantitative differences in the perceptions teachers, students, and parents held about the impact of the emotional environment on the evolving reader? The joint display juxtaposed the qualitative and quantitative findings alongside meta-inferences.
The overall findings of the study have both micro and macro significance. On the micro level, it will gather useful qualitative evidence that has the potential to increase student success academically, as well as improve students’ emotional well-being. On the macro level, it can provide information for practitioners to improve practice and inform policies. These findings can inform educational policies by highlighting the need for systems and practices that support the development of emotionally safe learning environments.
Wednesday 20th March, 2024 at 1:00 p.m.
Mr Roland Sealy holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in History with a minor in Behavioural Science from Andrews University, Michigan, USA. He also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Education and a Master of Education in Reading from the University of the West Indies (UWI).
As a former secondary school teacher, over the years, Mr Sealy witnessed the plight of students, especially boys and young men, who struggled with reading difficulties. As a result, Mr Sealy, along with his wife who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, established the non-governmental organisation, Positive Outlook-Uplifting Interventions (POUI), a counselling and educational intervention centre which focuses on family and couples counselling and literacy interventions.
He is currently the Chair of the Teacher Education Department in the School of Education, University of the Southern Caribbean, and facilitates courses for pre-service teachers in literacy and pedagogical principles. Mr Sealy is a member of the International Literacy Association and serves as the Secretary of the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Teacher Educators. Mr Sealy is also fervently interested in the development of emotional intelligence, especially in boys and men.
His current research for a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Education focuses on school transformation through social and emotional intelligence.
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