”It's a way of being for a teacher”: Multiple perspectives on relationship-building competencies in teacher education

Teacher-student relationships are crucial for both teacher and student well-being. Teachers, however, report experiencing difficulties in establishing positive relationships. To gain deeper understanding of pre-service teachers' competence in relationship-building and the potential contribution of teacher education, interviews were conducted with 14 pre-service teachers, lecturers, and internship mentors. Although pre-service teachers’ competence was deemed adequate, several challenges in building positive teacher-student relationships were highlighted. Notably, all parties reported that pre-service teachers experience difficulties building teacher-student relationships in the context of student diversity, including ethnic and cultural diversity as well as specific educational needs. Implications and suggestions for teacher education are discussed.