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Изследователски проникновения
TOGETHER TOWARDS SUCCESSFUL EDUCATIONAL WORK IN BOARDING SCHOOL: MUTUAL COOPERATION OF BOARDING SCHOOL TEACHERS
https://doi.org/10.53656/ped2026-8.06
Резюме. The aim of this paper is to examine boarding school teachers and their mutual cooperation with colleagues. The research included seventy-seven boarding school teachers from the Republic of Serbia who work in a high school boarding school. The results show that boarding school teachers generally evaluate their cooperation and relationships with colleagues positively, and that they coordinate with them in the context of various aspects related to educational work in the boarding school. A positive and statistically significant correlation was found between the group of items describing how boarding school teachers assess their cooperation and relationships with colleagues, and the group of items describing whether they coordinate with colleagues in various aspects of educational work in the boarding school (r=0.623; p=0.000). These findings raise many questions for implications and future research in the context of mutual cooperation among boarding school teachers in the modern boarding school.
Ключови думи: boarding school teachers; cooperation; colleagues; successful educational work
Introduction
It is a fact that the relationship and mutual cooperation among boarding school teachers are important factors in considering successful educational work in a boarding school. With this in mind, we aim to dedicate this paper specifically to this topic. ,,It may be easy to get into the profession of teaching, but being a good teacher is not easy. Normally, it takes a long time to acquire the characteristics of a good teacher“ (Hamza et al., 2010, p. 48). Boarding school teachers are primarily responsible for the fulfillment of the educational function, with the quality and outcomes of the educational work largely dependent on their expertise and engagement (Ćuk, 2012). Boarding school teachers are faced with many responsibilities, whereby ,,they are responsible for organizing and supervising the work of the educational group, monitoring students’ progress and achievements, approaching each individual student personally, encouraging them to take responsibility for their academic duties, cooperating with parents and teachers, and performing other professional tasks“ (Ješić, 2008, p. 201). Additionally, the roles and responsibilities of a boarding school teacher are aimed at enhancing students’ social skills, supporting their learning, achieving academic goals, and fostering the development of prosocial individuals (Ješić, 2008). In order to fulfill all of these complex responsibilities, mutual cooperation among boarding school teachers is essential, supported by positive relationships and interactions. Developing and achieving effective collaboration among teachers is a challenging and complex process (Vangrieken et al., 2015). Therefore, ,,investigation does show that subjective value, especially personal relevance, is a very important determinant of teacher collaboration and needs to be considered in the promotion of teacher cooperation” (Drossel et al., 2019, p. 203). Building on the idea ,,that we will feel better at work if the cooperation with colleagues is good and constructive” (Lovrinčević, 2023, p. 103), with this empirical study, we aim to examine the mutual collaboration among boarding school teachers, as their joint contributions lead to successful educational work in a modern boarding school.
Research Methodology
The focus of this paper is directed toward examining boarding school teachers and their mutual cooperation with colleagues, in order to highlight the relevance of this topic and contribute to the professional development of boarding school teachers and the field of education in the modern boarding school. The sample included 77 boarding school teachers from the Republic of Serbia. Boarding school teachers working in high school boarding schools participated in this research. It is important to emphasize that boarding school teachers are responsible for the daily life and activities of the students. They provide continuous support in the educational process while maintaining constant communication with their colleagues, whether through shift handovers, exchanging information about ongoing situations, or coordinating plans and agreements. Of the participants, 37.7% were male and 62.3% were female boarding school teachers. In terms of age, 24.7% of the boarding school teachers were up to 34 years old, 42.9% were between 35 and 45 years old, and 32.4% were older than 45. A descriptive method was used, along with survey and scaling techniques. Based on relevant literature in this field, we developed a separate instrument (MCBST-2025). The general questions addressed to the respondents concerned gender and age. In the second part of the instrument, respondents provided answers using a Likert-type scale: 1 – Strongly disagree; 2 – Disagree; 3 – Neutral; 4 – Agree; and 5 – Strongly agree. The final question in the instrument was open-ended, allowing respondents to describe what they most appreciate in their colleagues at the boarding school. The calculated Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.898. The collected data included responses from seventy-seven boarding school teachers. The data were processed using SPSS software. The statistical parameters applied included calculation of the mean (M), standard deviation (SD), minimum (Min) and maximum (Max) values, as well as the use of the t-test, chi-square test (χ2), and Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r). To assess the reliability of the instrument used (MCBST-2025), Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α) was employed.
Results
Table 1 presents the descriptive indicators of boarding school teachers’ assessment of cooperation and relationships with colleagues.
Table 1. Descriptive indicators of boarding school teachers’ assessment of cooperation and relationships with colleagues
From the results shown in Table 1, we observe that boarding school teachers generally evaluate their cooperation and relationships with colleagues positively. The lowest mean values were calculated for the item I think that colleagues in the boarding school need additional training related on effective communication skills concerning relationships with colleagues (M=3.17; SD=0.865) and I think that colleagues in the boarding school need additional training related to teamwork and partnership (M=3.18; SD=0.721). Thus, boarding school teachers are generally satisfied with the relationships and cooperation they have with their colleagues in the boarding school.
Table 2. Correlation between the item I enjoy cooperating with colleagues at the boarding school where I work and other items related to the assessment of relationships and cooperation with colleagues
Based on the results shown in Table 2, we observe a positive and statistically significant correlation between respondents’ answers to the item I enjoy cooperating with colleagues at the boarding school where I work and their answers to other items related to the assessment of relationships and cooperation with colleagues. A negative and statistically significant correlation exists between respondents’ agreement with the item I enjoy cooperating with colleagues at the boarding school where I work and their agreement with the item I think that colleagues in the boarding school need additional training related to teamwork and partnership. No statistically significant correlation was found between the item I enjoy cooperating with colleagues at the boarding school where I work and the item I think that colleagues in the boarding school need additional training related on effective communication skills related to relationships with colleagues.
Table 3. Correlation between the item I socialize privately with colleagues from the boarding school where I work and other items related to the assessment of relationships and cooperation with colleagues
Based on the results presented in Table 3, we observe a positive and statistically significant correlation between respondents’answers to the item I socialize privately with colleagues from the boarding school where I work and their answers to other items related to the assessment of relationships and cooperation with colleagues. It was found that there is no statistically significant correlation between respondents’ answers to the item I socialize privately with colleagues from the boarding school where I work and their answers to the item I think that colleagues in the boarding school need additional training related on effective communication skills related to relationships with colleagues. Similarly, no statistically significant correlation was found between responses to the item I socialize privately with colleagues from the boarding school where I work and the item I think that colleagues in the boarding school need additional training related to teamwork and partnership.
Table 4. Descriptive indicators of whether boarding school teachers coordinate with colleagues in the context of various aspects related to educational work in the boarding school
Based on the results in Table 4, we observe that the respondents generally assess positively that they coordinate with colleagues in the context of various aspects related to educational work in the boarding school. The lowest mean value was calculated for the item I coordinate with colleagues at the boarding school regarding parental involvement and cooperation with parents (M=3.06; SD=0.833).
We grouped the items describing how boarding school teachers assess cooperation and relationships with colleagues, as well as the items describing whether they coordinate with colleagues in the context of various aspects related to educational work in the boarding school. Based on the calculated Pearson correlation coefficient, it was determined that there is a positive and statistically significant correlation (r=0.623; p=0.000).
Table 5. Differences in boarding school teachers’ assessment of cooperation and relationships with colleagues according to gender
Based on the results in Table 5, we observe that there is a statistically significant difference in boarding school teachers’ assessment of cooperation and relationships with colleagues according to gender. Female boarding school teachers evaluate cooperation and relationships with colleagues more positively compared to male boarding school teachers. There is no statistically significant difference between genders regarding the item I think that colleagues in the boarding school need additional training related on effective communication skills related to relationships with colleagues.
Table 6. Differences in responses on whether boarding school teachers coordinate with colleagues in the context of various aspects related to educational work in the boarding school, according to gender
Based on the results in Table 6, we observe a statistically significant difference between coordination with colleagues in the context of various aspects related to educational work in the boarding school and the gender of the respondents. Female boarding school teachers evaluate coordination with colleagues in these contexts more positively compared to male boarding school teachers.
Table 7. Differences in boarding school teachers’ assessment of cooperation and relationships with colleagues according to age
Based on the results in Table 7, we observe a statistically significant difference between boarding school teachers’ assessment of cooperation and relationships with colleagues and their age. Boarding school teachers aged 35 to 45 evaluate these items more positively. There is no statistically significant difference regarding the item I think that colleagues in the boarding school need additional training related on effective communication skills related to relationships with colleagues and the respondents’ age. Similarly, no statistically significant difference was found for the item I think that colleagues in the boarding school need additional training related to teamwork and partnership and the respondents’ age.
Table 8. Differences in responses on whether boarding school teachers coordinate with colleagues in the context of various aspects related to educational work in the boarding school, according to age
Based on the results in Table 8, we observe a statistically significant difference between the coordination of boarding school teachers with colleagues in the context of various aspects related to educational work in the boarding school and their age. Boarding school teachers aged 35 to 45 most often evaluate these items more positively compared to other boarding school teachers. There is no statistically significant difference regarding the item I coordinate with colleagues at the boarding school regarding sections organized as a form of extracurricular activities and the respondents’ age.
We asked boarding school teachers what they value most in their colleagues at the boarding school. Some of their responses are as follows:
,, I respect that they are responsible and keep their commitments. I think this is important for working in a group.“
,, What I appreciate about my colleagues is that we easily agree on all activities. The team is excellent! We coordinate, share tasks, and everyone is involved in the activities happening at the boarding school.”
,, Excellent and quality communication.”
,, What I respect most is that we value each other and help one another.”
,, I would wish every educational institution to have colleagues like those in our boarding school. Everyone is understanding, ready to help, ready to take action, able to listen, guide, and give good advice... ”
The responses of boarding school teachers indicate that they appreciate and recognize positive social characteristics in their colleagues, which are essential for the successful, quality, and positive functioning of any modern boarding school.
Discussion
The obtained results show that boarding school teachers generally evaluate cooperation and relationships with colleagues positively. The lowest mean scores were calculated for the items: I think that colleagues in the boarding school need additional training related on effective communication skills concerning relationships with colleagues and I think that colleagues in the boarding school need additional training related to teamwork and partnership. The lower scores on these items indicate that boarding school teachers are generally uncertain about whether their colleagues need additional training in effective communication skills regarding relationships with colleagues, as well as training related to teamwork and partnership. Thus, boarding school teachers are generally satisfied with the relationships and cooperation they have with their colleagues at the boarding school. ,,Collaboration is a very complex form of interaction“ (Mora-Ruano et al., 2018, p. 9), which requires a thorough approach and mature commitment from all stakeholders in the boarding school.
The results show that there is a positive and statistically significant correlation between respondents’ answers to the item I enjoy cooperating with colleagues at the boarding school where I work and answers to other items related to the assessment of relationships and cooperation with colleagues. The findings indicate that there is a strong culture of professional approach and collegial relationships within the boarding school, which contributes to making an educational institution quality and successful. A negative and statistically significant correlation exists between respondents’ answers expressing that they I enjoy cooperating with colleagues at the boarding school where I work and the item I think that colleagues in the boarding school need additional training related to teamwork and partnership. The results also show that there is no statistically significant correlation between the item I enjoy cooperating with colleagues at the boarding school where I work and the item I think that colleagues in the boarding school need additional training related on effective communication skills related to relationships with colleagues. Our results show that there is a positive and statistically significant correlation between respondents’ answers to the item I socialize privately with colleagues from the boarding school where I work and other items related to the assessment of relationships and cooperation with colleagues. We observe that, alongside good relationships and cooperation within the boarding school, boarding school teachers also maintain private social interactions with colleagues, which strengthens their relationship and interaction. It was established that there is no statistically significant correlation between respondents’ answers to the item I socialize privately with colleagues from the boarding school where I work and the item I think that colleagues in the boarding school need additional training related on effective communication skills related to relationships with colleagues. Similarly, there is no statistically significant correlation between respondents’ answers to the item I socialize privately with colleagues from the boarding school where I work and the item I think that colleagues in the boarding school need additional training related to teamwork and partnership.
The results show that respondents generally positively assess that they coordinate with colleagues regarding various aspects related to educational work in the boarding school. The lowest mean value was calculated for the item I coordinate with colleagues at the boarding school regarding parental involvement and cooperation with parents. Many problems arise in the cooperation between parents and boarding school teachers, which complicates the establishment of a partnership between these two institutions (Ješić, 2008). It is recommended that future research examine more systematically this important topic encompassing the relationship between boarding schools and the family environment.
It was found that there is a positive and statistically significant correlation between the group of items describing how boarding school teachers assess collaboration and relationships with colleagues and the group of items describing whether they coordinate with colleagues in the context of various aspects related to educational work in the boarding school. Thus, the findings indicate that boarding school teachers who positively evaluate collaboration and relationships with colleagues also tend to coordinate with colleagues in various aspects related to educational work in the boarding school.
The results show that there is a statistically significant difference in the assessment of collaboration and relationships with colleagues based on the gender of boarding school teachers. Female boarding school teachers evaluate collaboration and relationships with colleagues more positively compared to their male counterparts. For the item I think that colleagues in the boarding school need additional training related on effective communication skills related to relationships with colleagues, no statistically significant differences were found based on gender. However, a statistically significant difference was found between the extent of agreement with colleagues in the context of various aspects of educational work in the boarding school and the gender of the respondents. Female boarding school teachers evaluate agreements with colleagues in the context of different aspects of educational work in the boarding school more positively compared to male boarding school teachers. In this context, the research results show that ,,female pre-service teachers have a higher level of social skills than male pre-service teachers” (Erdoğan & Çargit, 2018, p. 2907). The research shows that ,,results remain inconclusive with regard to gender differences in collaboration, which are minimal at best” (Mora-Ruano et al., 2018, p. 9).
It was observed that there is a statistically significant difference between boarding school teachers’ assessments of cooperation and relationships with colleagues according to their age. Boarding school teachers aged between 35 and 45 years tend to evaluate these items more positively. There is no statistically significant difference for the items I think that colleagues in the boarding school need additional training related to effective communication skills concerning relationships with colleagues and age of the respondents. Similarly, no statistically significant difference was found for the items I think that colleagues in the boarding school need additional training related to teamwork and partnership and age of the respondents. The results also show a statistically significant difference in the extent to which boarding school teachers coordinate with colleagues on various aspects of educational work in the boarding school depending on their age. Teachers in the between 35 and 45 years group most frequently evaluated these items more positively compared to other boarding school teachers. These findings could be interpreted in the context that boarding school teachers within this age group have enough experience to recognize the importance of cooperation with colleagues and are dedicated to this aspect within the boarding school. No statistically significant difference was found for the item I coordinate with colleagues at the boarding school regarding sections organized as a form of extracurricular activities and the age of respondents. The obtained result indicates that cooperation with boarding school colleagues regarding sections does not depend on the age of the boarding school teachers, whereby younger boarding school teachers and older boarding school teachers equally cooperate and agree with colleagues regarding sections. ,,A student, in their leisure time, should be engaged in activities that benefit both their mind and body” (Ješić, 2008, p. 228), where sections are an important element of boarding school activities that need a special approach by boarding school teachers in the context of the overall development of students (Ješić, 2008).
Regarding the question of what boarding school teachers value most in their colleagues, the responses indicate that they appreciate responsibility, willingness to cooperate and reach agreements, communication, as well as mutual support. Thus, we observe that boarding school teachers recognize the prosocial skills of their colleagues, which they highly appreciate and which play a primary role in shaping relationships and mutual interactions. One study shows that ,,results illustrate that well-functioning working teams characterized by shared responsibility, support and help, as well as safety and an open climate, are highly appreciated by teachers“ (Hammar Chiriac et al., 2024, p. 1791). Accordingly, these positive characteristics are appreciated and valued in mutual interactions. ,,Good interpersonal relationships at work contribute to greater effectiveness of all employees” (Lovrinčević, 2023, p. 103), where it is important to emphasize that it is necessary to work on interpersonal relations, improve one’s own skills and contribute to the quality of mutual ones. Boarding school, in addition to all the activities and functions it performs, must not neglect this aspect in the development and functioning of a modern boarding school.
Conclusion and implications
This empirical study focuses on the mutual cooperation among boarding school teachers. Besides a relatively small sample size, the limitations of this research include the scarcity of literature specifically addressing boarding school pedagogy on this topic and related issues. Therefore, we relied largely on literature concerning teachers in general. We believe that more attention should be directed towards the interaction, cooperation, and relationships between boarding school teachers and their colleagues. Future research could explore the personality traits of colleagues with whom boarding school teachers prefer to cooperate, as well as whether completing studies specifically tailored for boarding school teachers correlates with their cooperation and willingness to coordinate on various educational activities. Additionally, it would be valuable to investigate how senior boarding school teachers accept and communicate with younger and novice colleagues. An interesting idea for future studies could be whether the cooperation and relationships among boarding school teachers affect the quality of student learning, as well as the quality of students’ leisure time, their involvement in sections, and other extracurricular activities at the boarding school. It would also be significant to examine the connection between the cooperation and relationships among boarding school teachers and those among the students themselves, investigating whether the teachers’ mutual collaboration influences student cooperation and relationships within the boarding school.
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