Browsing by Subject "myönteinen kosketus"

Objectives. Previous studies have indicated that the perspectives on touching and its naturalness in a school context vary among teachers. However, the significance of positive touch has been acknowledged: positive touch has been found to promote trust between the person touching and the person being touched, also it can be used to help build a positive and warm interaction. The objective of this thesis was to review positive touch between a teacher and a student in school. The objective of the research was to determine the type of touch the teachers describe as positive. The analysis discusses the types of meanings positive touch has in the interaction between a teacher and a student, from the teachers’ point of view. Methods. The research data included semi-structured interviews of 19 teachers, collected in Koskettava koulu -project. The research topic, positive touch, was defined based on the teacher’s assessment, that the student will regard touching as a positive matter. In the interviews, teachers were asked about topics related to touching in school. The study utilized qualitative research methods. The data was analyzed with thematic analysis. Results and conclusions. The teachers’ descriptions of positive touch between a teacher and a student can be divided into five themes: considerate touch, directive touch, encouraging and complimenting touch, soothing touch and comforting touch. In the teacher-student relationship, both teachers and students act as a person touching and as a person being touched. Based on the data, it can be stated that the teachers justify touching from a professional premise as a response to the students’ needs: the teachers interpret the students’ touch initiatives, specifically, as expressions of these types of needs. In the teachers’ descriptions, knowing the student and their history, was emphasized. These types of factors help the teacher to better understand the student and their individual needs. Based on the data, it can be noted that many teachers consider positive touch as a natural way to act. Touch is also being utilized as a tool for the teacher, however the features related to the students, such as age, gender, sensory hypersensitivity, and cultural background, affect the teacher’s touch behavior.