Dr. Tamyra Pickering

The purpose of this collective multiple case study was to explore eight at-risk, high school girls' relationships with their present and former teachers using in-depth interviews, journals, drawings, observations, and a focus group. The goal for this research was to describe from the students' perspective what they valued, thought, felt, and saw in their relationships with teachers. This multiple case study has importance in the educational arena because teachers are in a position to critically influence girls and their success in school. Each at-risk girl identified unique themes to her case in their recollection of experiences with teachers. Four themes emerged from this multiple case study; The Girls Said Teachers Should Be Allies to Students, The Girls Described Relationships With Teachers Who Were Distant, The Girls Said Good Teachers Are Supporters To Students, and At Times School Seemed Pointless to the Girls. The awareness of when teachers should approach these girls and when they should hold back was critical in developing influential relationships described by the eight at-risk high school girls in this study.