Psychological Safety for Students

Personal Experiences of Psychological Safety through Education

By Beatriz Poyton

In schools, psychological safety is hard to create but easy to destroy. My own feelings of psychological safety, and willingness to put myself and my ideas forward at school were seriously damaged by the experience of being laughed at by my teachers for daring to apply to Oxford. Despite working hard for my grades, many of the staff lacked the belief that anyone from my school could make it into such a prestigious institution and they reflected this to my 15-year-old self.

Facing this scepticism, I withdrew and closed up, hesitant to share my ideas both inside and outside of the classroom for fear of facing similar ridicule; I no longer saw the point in working hard. The impact of this extended beyond that moment, and cast a shadow over my academic willingness for a long time.

This only changed a few years later when I was actively encouraged to apply to Russell Group universities by a new school; the faith that my teachers had in me was part of what made it a psychologically safe environment, allowing me to see the value others held in me. Many of the teachers made it clear that there were no wrong answers and allowed every student to voice their opinions. Although I didn’t know what it was called at the time, feeling psychologically safe allowed me to open up and become more confident in my work despite the previous experience I’d had.

And the importance of psychological safety in educational environments extends far beyond university applications.

Secondary School: The Effect of Setting

Many English secondary schools divide years 7-11 into academic sets. Although this is a very common practice, especially for GCSE students, it can also add an additional layer of pressure to students. Having experienced this, my view is that this division of groups can contribute to a psychologically unsafe environment.

Many people assume that being placed in the top set builds your confidence, however, I had a different experience. Coming from top-sets in secondary school, I felt a necessity to perform perfectly otherwise I would experience a sense of imposter syndrome. This alienation continued when moving to a grammar school for sixth form having dropped from high grades to the lower end of the class. It made me feel anxious within class and prevented me from getting involved for fear of failure. 

Some of the teachers didn’t know how to help, however, there were teachers that created an environment where failure was an opportunity rather than a hindrance. They allowed me to contribute more openly by encouraging my participation and considering my ideas rather than immediately shutting them down – promoting a more psychologically safe environment.

Transitions to University

Transitioning to university introduced a new set of challenges, including a heightened sense of imposter syndrome and academic pressure. As students came from diverse educational backgrounds – grammar, private, co-ed, single-sex etc – the fear of not being able to connect with or keep up with the other students was overwhelming. 

Nevertheless, the university as a whole tried to encourage psychological safety by embracing diversity and running events and initiatives that tried to normalise failure as an integral part of the learning process.

However, this only stretches so far. Individual teachers’ and lecturers’ behaviour cannot always be changed by universities’ attempts to introduce psychologically safe strategies. During my first year I was taking language classes, the experience of a safe classroom was hindered by harsh reactions to failure and a lack of constructive feedback from the lecturer.

The fear of embarrassment and humiliation discouraged myself, as well as many of the other students, from fully engaging in collaborative learning opportunities. Our lecturer had made it common practice to publicly announce our grades to the entire class. Unfortunately, if a grade was deemed too low, the lecturer’s dissatisfaction would often be evident through gestures like rolling their eyes or making small comments. This created an atmosphere where we felt judged and anxious about our performances. Even in educational games, that were meant to be enjoyable, the experience was marred by the fear of getting something wrong as mistakes were met with harsh criticism. 

This type of environment prevented people turning up to class, and ultimately forced many students (including myself) to transfer courses at the end of the year, which shows that for many, a learning environment without psychological safety is not only uncomfortable but actually unbearable.

However, it is important to note that this is not reflective of every university class, and there are ways in which university has offered opportunities for students to speak up and feel they have a voice. In fact, in seminars, I have found the shift towards a more relaxed and inclusive environment has contributed to greater psychological safety among students. Instead of being singled out and picked on, (like I experienced in secondary school), we are often encouraged to contribute on our own terms, creating a sense of agency and autonomy. For me, this is a much more preferable way of learning as I feel confident and comfortable to offer answers and suggestions in my own time.

So… Psychological Safety in Education Matters

It is from my personal experiences that I believe creating psychologically safe environments is essential for promoting student wellbeing and success. I think prioritising open communication and normalising failure can allow educators to foster a culture of psychological safety where students can feel empowered to take risks and learn from mistakes. Educational institutions tend to offer help for their students’ mental and emotional wellbeing, focusing on pastoral initiatives and counselling. However, I think they are overlooking the importance of creating psychologically safe environments in the classroom, where in reality, it should be a priority.