The Use of Intellectual Humility as a Framework for Elementary School Teachers in the Development of Positive Parent-Teacher Relationships

Although the educational and psychological communities have identified the importance of the parent-teacher relationship to the academic success and social benefit of students, difficulties continue to persist in identifying specific strategies for building positive relationships between parents and teachers. This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of seven elementary school teachers in public schools to examine whether intellectual humility manifested in their reported ability to develop positive relationships with parents. A semi-structured interview with participants revealed seven overarching themes evident in their experiences with parents which align with the construct of intellectual humility. These themes include Proactive Communication, Openness to Feedback, Collaboration as a Goal, Perspective Taking, Administrative Support, Lack of Formal Training, and Identity Representation. The interview data affirmatively supports the question of whether teachers who operate from a framework of intellectual humility are able to create and maintain positive relationships with parents. The results of this study provide a basis for continued research regarding the use of intellectual humility in developing strategies for creating positive relationships between parents and teachers.