Students' perceptions of primary teachers' interpersonal behaviour and of cultural dimensions in the classroom environment

Abstract

Within the domain of learning environments research many studies have investigated students' perceptions of their teachers’ interpersonal behavior. The present study adds to this line of research by (a) focusing on primary education, rather than secondary education, (b) establishing associations between perceptions of teacher interpersonal behavior and perceptions of cultural elements of the learning environment rather than uniquely focusing on interpersonal behavior, (c) linking perceptions of teacher interpersonal behavior to affective student outcomes taking into account perceptions of cultural elements of the learning environment. Results of correlation analyses and multilevel analyses of variance, conducted on perception and outcome data of a sample of 2178 Australian years 5, 6 and 7 students in 103 primary classrooms are presented. Students' perceptions of their learning environment were mapped with the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) and a primary version of the Cultural Learning Environment Questionnaire (CLEQ). Results indicate that, after correction for covariates, teacher proximity (QTI) and congruence (CLEQ) are significantly associated with students’ enjoyment in science. Also, strong associations were found between teacher proximity and all of the CLEQ scales.