This study examined teachers' experiences of attempting to communicate with students through diary writing, in which the principle of caring the mind was applied. The study researched the phenomenon by applying Giorgi’s psychological phenomenologica...
This study examined teachers' experiences of attempting to communicate with students through diary writing, in which the principle of caring the mind was applied. The study researched the phenomenon by applying Giorgi’s psychological phenomenological methods as an appropriate qualitative approach method to understand its essence and meaning. From in-depth interviews with participants, the meaning and essence of 'the motive of the teachers who chose mind diary as a tool to communicate with students,' 'various experiences obtained from keeping a mind diary together,' and 'internal and external changes which occurred between students and teachers' were examined. The subjects of the study consisted of teachers who had the experience of applying mind diary with students in class for two years or more over the past six years and had the intention to continue such activity in the future. The results are summarized as follows. First, after attempting communication with students through mind diary, the relationship between teachers and students was improved in a way that enabled them to continue communication. Second, teachers came to understand more deeply students who were isolated or showed problematic behaviors and could have opportunities to individually commune with students. Third, through the process of reflecting their inner and outer sides, teachers could experience the growth of themselves. Fourth, teachers could find students with psychological problems acquiring on their own the method to examine their inner side and safely express it through the constant use of mind diary. This study found that, despite existing limitations in school conditions, communication using mind diary enables meetings and communication with respect between teachers and students and can help students to learn on their own the method to safely resolve problems by increasing their adaptability to school life. In addition, it is expected that communication using mind diary will play a role as a self-reflection tool that examines the mind regardless of religion as well a role as a counseling support tool for teachers who were exhausted with demanding tasks and restricted conditions of counseling.