Caring in a technology-mediated online high school context

The objective of this study was to describe how caring is experienced in the technology-mediated context of the Open High School in Utah, an online charter high school. Two female teachers, two male students, and two female students were interviewed three times over 9 months regarding their experience of caring teacher–student interactions. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Discovered themes were then organized into three superordinate themes: engrossment, motivational displacement, and reciprocity. Results suggest not only that caring interactions are possible in the online context, but also that specific caring pedagogies can strengthen the teacher–student relationship online. Additionally, evidence indicates that student reactions play an important role in caring in the online medium.

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