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Lived experience of mattering in teachers : a phenomenological inquiry

University of British Columbia

The concept of interpersonal mattering, or one’s perceived significance in the lives of others, has demonstrated importance in the success and well-being of students. This construct, however, has yet to be adequately explored in the teachers who are responsible for creating mattering environments for their students. The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning of teachers’ lived experiences of mattering in the workplace. The aim was to improve understanding of this phenomenon so that teachers and employers may have a greater understanding of the ways in which mattering may impact teachers’ satisfaction and their ability to support students. Participants included six full-time teachers from a variety of different settings. An in-depth interview and a follow-up member check was conducted with each participant. Interpretative phenomenology was used to gain a rich understanding of the essential meanings of the mattering experience from the teachers’ descriptions of their lived experiences. The following three essential themes were uncovered; impacting students, being seen, and belonging to a community.

Text

2016-09-20

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/59214

Counselling Psychology

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/