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Burns, James B.

College of Education and Social Services

2008

Ed. D.

The relational work of middle grades teachers, typified by teacher advisory activities, was investigated through qualitative analysis of work stories (case studies) of three teachers known for quality teaching and relational interadion with young adolescent learners. Through data analysis, the cases were considered separately to discern common themes. Interpretation of the themes commended five dispositions toward relational work, each of which described a distinctive attribute of participants' relational work with students. The dispositions included Caring, Responsive Pedagogy, Community, Complementarity, and Continuity / Change. It was concluded that these dispositions merit application within processes of middle grades teacher preparation and professional development. Further studies of the dispositions were recommended, including quantitative and mixed-methods investigations of representative samples.