This work-in-progress paper explores academics’ conceptions of pastoral care and its pedagogic implications. Amid concerns about studies, Chinese university students often worry about stigma or discrimination, making them hesitant to seek formal help (Ning et al., 2022). This underscores the need for more inclusive, non-stigmatising support (Wong et al., 2005). There is a growing voice of re-thinking pastoral care in supporting students’ study and well-being (Baice et al., 2021), and re-considering care as guidelines for higher education pedagogy (Mutch et al., 2021). Despite its potential for promoting students’ learning and welfare (Carroll, 2010), pastoral care remains vague and marginalised in universities. Guided by Patton’s (1993) ‘pastoral care as hearing and remembering’, this study examines the views and practices of 11 Hong Kong university teachers across disciplines. Based on a two-round Delphi analysis of participants’ written narrations and in-depth interviews, results revealed that pastoral care was understood as providing holistic guidance and support for students’ personal, intellectual, moral, emotional, and spiritual development. The pedagogic work was embodied in two dimensions: (1) understanding individual students’ concerns and recognising their achievements, (2) fostering a trusting, safe learning community by valuing diversity and using inclusive approaches. Essential qualities underpinning these practices included ‘love and care’, ‘trustworthiness’, and ‘respect and recognition’, while guarding against exploiting power disparities to teachers’ advantage. By mapping the concept and pedagogical expressions of pastoral care, we argue that its integration into teaching can enhance students’ academic success, holistic development, and better prepare graduates as empathetic global citizens contributing to society.

Authors:
Lai La Anne Tang, Lingnan University, Hong Kong
Jiaying Wang, Lingnan University, Hong Kong

About the Presenter(s)
Jiaying Wang, Research Officer at Lingnan University, will pursue a doctoral degree in education at Durham University. She is an emerging researcher passionate about teacher care, self-care in higher education.

Anne Tang's research interests include teacher care, ethics of care, pastoral care, relational pedagogy, higher education,
Vygotsky’s social constructivism, and Confucian heritage culture (CHC).

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/wangjiaying222

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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