Teachers’ relational competence in the interplay between ‘Me’ and ‘I’. A conceptual discussion supported by G.H. Mead’s theory

Begreppsdiskussion med stöd i G.H. Meads teori

Abstract

In Scandinavian educational research, teachers’ ability to initiate and maintain positive, supportive relationships is often discussed in terms of ‘relational competence’. For example, research has shown that- and how pre-service teachers’ relational competence can be developed. However, the field is mostly characterized by empirical research, and there is a need for conceptual discussions. This article aims to contribute to the research field by discussing how teachers’ relational competence can be understood and enhanced. More specifically, this article has two purposes: the first is to discuss the concept of relational competence, based on George H. Mead’s social psychology and, more specifically, his concepts of ‘Me’ and ‘I’. The discussion suggests that relational competence can be understood in terms of four perspectives: (i) concrete role-taking; (ii) abstract role-taking; (iii) a direct response to the other person’s address; and (iv) the interplay between ‘Me’ and ‘I’. The fourth perspective is then formulated as a synthesis, implying that teachers’ relational competence is primarily manifested in quick or hyper-quick oscillation between ‘Me’ and ‘I’, the two aspects of interaction and the social self. Based on this conceptual discussion, the second purpose of this article is to discuss the results from three empirical studies on pre-service teachers’ perceptions of relational competence. These studies reveal that the pre-service teachers’ perceptions changed and developed significantly through a short intervention using video-based reflection. This article suggests that the pre-service teachers developed their perceptions by shifting from the first three perspectives on relational competence to the fourth perspective. That is, the participants started to take on the role of the teachers in interaction depicted in the videos.

This article is structured as follows: the ‘Literature’ section presents a selection of relevant research, while the ‘Background’ section describes how the three empirical studies were designed and their results. The latter section also raises the question of how the pre-service teachers’ development could be understood. The section titled ‘Mead’s conception of the social self’ then introduces Mead’s social psychological theory, with a focus on his concepts of ‘Me’ and ‘I’. Next, under “Concept discussion”, the four perspectives are outlined. The section titled “Application of the synthesis” applies the fourth perspective to discuss the findings from the three empirical studies. Finally, theoretical and practical pedagogical implications are discussed.