Browsing by Author "Gordon, Molly Flynn"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Relational trust in Valparaiso, Chile and Illinois schools: surprising consistency and further questions
    (2022) Raczynski, Dagmar; Sebring, Penny Bender; Weinstein, Jose; Gordon, Molly Flynn
    In an unusual research collaboration, scholars in Chile and the US collected similar empirical data across their two countries to investigate and contrast relational trust in schools in Valparaiso, Chile and Illinois, US. The most salient finding was that, when asked about constructs associated with relational trust, teachers and students responded similarly and positively across the two regions with respect to trust among teachers, between teachers and principals, and between students and teachers. Similarities emerged regardless of differences in geography; nationality, language and culture; and structure of education systems. Relational trust, which involves respecting, caring for, and believing in the honesty and competence of one's colleagues, seems to materialize in schools, regardless of vast differences in environments. Given that trust is a vital force for school improvement, this is encouraging news for both regions. Nevertheless we observed that teacher-parent trust was much lower in Valparaiso and that there were differences in the operation of factors that condition levels of trust, specifically size of schools and socioeconomic status of the student body.