Why does a teacher remain at a high-risk school? Reflections on ethics and teaching quality in a culturally diverse and socioeconomically disadvantaged school in Denmark

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    Abstract

    Based on the American educational philosopher Nel Noddings’ concepts of ethics of care and results from a semi-structured narrative interview, this chapter aims to explore the values of a long-serving Danish teacher and her colleagues who work at a high-risk urban school in Denmark. Why do the teacher and her colleagues continue to work for more than 20 years at the disadvantaged school – even though most of the teacher attrition literature argues that teachers more often tend to leave high-risk schools – defined as schools with a large concentration of low-income families, minority students, and/or low-achieving students? What keeps this teacher and her colleagues going? What is their understanding of teaching quality? The results indicate that a close relationship with the students, while taking care of them and expecting receptivity from them, and a holistic approach to teaching are some of the keys to understanding why these teachers stay. For the long-serving Danish teacher, the goal of education and teaching goes beyond the mere acquisition of knowledge and represents a more rounded understanding of the learning process.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationTeacher Ethics and Teaching Quality in Scandinavian Schools : New Reflections, Future Challenges, and Global Impacts
    EditorsLars Emmerik Damgaard Knudsen, Merete Wiberg, Karen Bjerg Petersen, Lisbeth Haastrup
    Number of pages18
    Place of publicationLondon
    PublisherRoutledge
    Publication dateJan 2024
    Pages143-160
    Chapter10
    ISBN (Print)978-1-032-52667-6, 978-1-032-50930-3
    ISBN (Electronic)978-1-003-85200-1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jan 2024

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