The relationship between lecturers, tutors and students plays a significant role in the classes. It is mainly established through direct social interaction ranging from rather formal and universal to informal and personal. Thus, all three lecturers and tutors nicely welcome and dismiss students (e.g. Class 1: Tutorial 29/10/2015, Class 2: Lecture 27/08/2015 & Class 1: Lecture 25/08/2015). In addition, the tutors also hold private conversations with their classes as a whole or with individual students (e.g. Class 1: Tutorial 29/19/2015 & Class 2: Lecture 27/08/2015). This interaction is felt to be quite personal by all three students (Interview with S1, Interview with S3 & Interview with S2).

In L3’s opinion, “the idea of […] relating to your students is really important” (Interview with L3). The short expressions “ok?” and “you know” (Class 1: Lecture 25/08/2015 & Class 1: Lecture 01/09/2015) with which L1 tries to integrate the students into the lecture and make the lecture more student-centred could be seen as such a way of relating. Likewise, S1 feels that she as a student also “connect[s] with those teachers” in return (Interview with S1).

The relationship between students and teachers which is thus established is a very personal one. L3, for example, tries to get to know his students individually (Class 2: Lecture 27/08/2015). This effort is noticed and valued by S2 (Interview with S2). L3 also believes that it is not a good teaching practice if teachers “try to make that […] barrier around them and their students” and, thus, “try to isolate [their self] away from [their] students” (Interview with L3). The way in which he treats his students, values the relationship with them and makes himself accessible to them, makes S2 think that he cares about them (Interview with S2).

L2, L3 and S2 describe the relationships in class by using family and friendship terms, such as “auntie looking after the kids” (Interview with L2), “part of your family, part of your mob” (Interview with L3) and “talking to a friend” (Interview with S2). The feeling of friendship enables her to “be more open and honest” (Interview with S2) and makes learning easier, S2 explains (Interview with S2). In addition, she also believes that “if you’ve got a relationship with your teacher of course you gonna remember stuff more” (Interview with S2) because the content is more connected to the personal life of the student.

That the relationship between lecturers, tutors and students is not just a background issue but a fundamental part of the class and how it relates to the creation of a positive learning environment becomes evident through L2’s statement that her classes are “more about a group of people coming together and sharing some information and having a joke” (Interview with L2). S2 supports this view by saying: “it’s all about culture and spirituality and relationship” (Interview with S2).

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