Browsing by Author "Tiala, Ilona"

Aim of the study. Students and their difficult behavior are, according to several studies, one of the most significant burdensome factors in teaching work. In the field of research on teacher well-being at work or stress and burnout, this aspect is often emphasized. The im-portance of the teacher-student relationship for teacher well-being, job satisfaction, and commitment to work is well known. This study aims to look at the teacher-student relation-ship as a resource for teaching work. In my research, I try to find out what kind of teacher-student relationship promotes teacher well-being. Also, the study examines the extent to which the teacher-student relationship protects the teacher from risks to their well-being in terms of managing workload. Methods. The research approach was hermeneutic-phenomenological, aiming to understand and interpret an individual’s experiences and their associated meanings. The study was a qualitative interview study, the material of which consisted of interviews with six (6) classroom teachers. The body of the interview was a semi-structured interview. The inter-views were recorded and transcribed, after which they were analyzed. The method of anal-ysis was content analysis, typical of qualitative research. Results and conclusions. Based on my research material, I have divided the factors of the teacher-student relationship that promote teacher well-being, into those related to the teacher's professional skills, as well as those relating to the student's willingness and ability to participate in building the teacher-student relationship. The results showed that the teacher-student relationship is, to the greatest extent possible, a resource for teaching work. A warm teacher-student relationship was perceived as a significant and meaningful factor in teachers' work. However, it does not appear to protect teachers from overwork, and interviewees reported that other approaches are required to manage their workload and to protect themselves from exhaustion. The role of the teacher leans heavily towards interpersonal work, and the ability to tailor approaches to different students to build relationships is important. Attention is often paid to the teacher-student relationship only when problems arise, even if it would be beneficial for both the teacher and students' well-being to focus on building successful teacher-student relationships.