The Congruence of Teacher and Student Perceptions of Classroom Teaching Activity.

N

12

Academic Aptitude; Classroom Communication; Classroom Environment; Educational Research; Grade 3; Primary Education; Social Cognition; Student Attitudes; Student Behavior; Surveys; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Behavior; Teacher Response; Teacher Student Relationship

Based upon the hypothesis that a person's behavior is dictated by the immediate environment, a study was conducted to investigate whether student's perception of their best liked and least liked subjects was affected by their teacher's perception of the subjects they liked to teach best and felt most knowledgeable about. Participants, 47 third grade teachers and their 984 students, received color-coded attitude surveys, each color representing a subject taught. Students were asked to rank the subjects they liked best and rank the subjects they believed their teachers best liked teaching; teachers were asked to rank the subjects they felt they had the greatest knowledge in, the subjects they felt they taught best, and the subjects they preferred to teach. Results, tabulated for congruence between student and teacher responses, showed that both teachers and students preferred mathematics and reading over other subjects. They differed in their preference for language arts and social studies, teachers preferring the former, students the latter. No cause and effect relationship was established for student behavior or academic success, but a number of questions for future research, such as how teachers communicate their preferences to students, were posed. (Four tables, a discussion, and reference list are included.) (JC)

1987

ED283131