The class teacher as a key architect of an inclusive classroom community: an often overlooked role
Abstract
The global shortage of teachers and the increasing complexity of educational work have brought renewed attention to differentiated teacher roles. Within continental European traditions, the class teacher plays a central yet underresearched role in fostering inclusive classroom communities. This study employs a mixed-methods design, combining a large-scale online survey of 637 Slovenian primary and secondary school class teachers with qualitative content analysis, and two focus groups with 12 purposively selected teachers, principals, and school counselors. The findings indicate that class teachers primarily perceive their role in relational terms – fostering trust, supporting students, and addressing socioemotional needs – while comparatively less emphasis is placed on building classroom communities and coordinating professional collaboration. We find that only 21.5% of teachers explicitly identified community building, despite the fact that core policy documents defining the role of the class teacher emphasize this function as particularly important. Only one-third of class teachers (33.8%) reported that the pedagogical role predominated in their work. The study highlights a conceptual gap between the systemic expectations of the class teacher role and the teachers’ lived experiences. Strengthening inclusive classroom communities requires targeted professional development, reduced administrative burden, and enhanced institutional support for collaborative pedagogical leadership.