Giving voice: exploring the school-based care experiences of at-risk youth

This qualitative study was designed to analyze the perspectives of at-risk students regarding their experiences with educators whom they believe demonstrated care toward them during their school history. The theoretical framework for this study comes from a merging of Noddings’ Ethic of Care as teacher practice with the work of others who have developed categorizations of care from a student perspective. In order to give the experiences of the research participants meaning and value, the study used a phenomenological approach. The research findings describe care as resulting from the existence of nine inter-related aspects of teacher behaviour that are described thematically under two broad organizers: care as collaborative actions and care as personal attributes. This research has implications for educators seeking to enhance the school experiences of at-risk youth.