A Phenomenological Study Exploring Teacher-Student Relationships for Students with Moderate To Severe Disabilities

The purpose of this qualitative, transcendental, phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of general education and self-contained classroom teachers building relationships with students who have moderate to severe disabilities in rural Maryland. Teachers were selected from elementary school settings in the rural part of Maryland’s eastern shore. The theory that guided this study was Bowlby’s attachment theory. Vygotsky focused on language development and how it affects social interactions between others while Bowlby’s theory explored a child’s attachment to close adults. This study explored teacher-student relationships as it relates to elementary-age students on Maryland’s eastern shore. The methodology for this research was a qualitative transcendental phenomenology study. Teachers were selected based on specific criteria related to relationships obtained with students who have moderate to severe disabilities within schools. Interviews, observations, and journals were used for the data collection process. The researcher used coding to analyze and interpret the data from the study. Themes were created and horizontalization was used to confirm the reliability and dependability of the study. The results of the study highlighted the lived experiences of teachers and related service providers. Teachers and related service providers work to build meaningful relationships with students who have moderate to severe disabilities in spite of the challenges, time, and other barriers they experienced.