Central Theme and Content

This book uses social support as a central theme to provide a sound underpinning for guiding teachers to play more supportive roles in schools. It comprises a series of empirical studies that address the psychological processes involved in feeling supported and providing support, and which demonstrate how students’ and teachers’ well-being can be enhanced through learning and teaching in the classroom.

Teacher Roles and Educational Focus

The distinction between teachers who are caring mentors and those who simply impart knowledge has attracted considerable interest among researchers; however, in the twenty-first century education seems to be playing a more restricted role, due to the predominant focus on performance outcomes.

Support and Professional Development

This book addresses and identifies teachers’ expanding role in education. It describes various types of support that teachers can offer students, and which serve to enhance a range of learning outcomes. Further, it provides evidence suggesting that teachers’ commitment to learner development is a prerequisite for a satisfying teaching career, and that teachers’ knowledge, skills and ability to provide social support in the classroom form a pathway of professional learning that can take their teaching expertise to a higher level. Lastly, the book offers policymakers suggestions on how to rekindle social support in an increasingly globalised setting in which people are becoming more and more disconnected.

Overall Significance

Given its multidisciplinary approach, the book is a unique contribution within its subject area, and will be of interest to practitioners in education and beyond.