Publication Date

7-1976

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Carl Martray, Ronald Adams, James Craig

Degree Program

Department of Psychology

Degree Type

Master of Arts

Abstract

A set of six student psychological variables-- internal locus of control for positive and negative events as assessed by the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire; self esteem as assessed by the Self Esteem Inventory; and level of regard, empathetic understanding, unconditionality of regard and congruence as assessed by the Relationship Inventory--were correlated with a set of four student perception of teacher variables--interactional competence, rapport, unreasonable negativity and fosterance of self esteem as assessed by the Student Evaluation of Teacher II--to determine the relationship between the student psychological variables and the manner in which students evaluate their teachers. The subjects, sixth graders from ten classrooms in South Central Kentucky, were administered the instruments in two days of testing, all of which occurred in April, 1976. Using canonical correlation, it was found that three student psychological variables-- level of regard, self esteem and empathetic understanding-- contributed highly to the prediction of student perception of teachers, level of regard and empathetic understanding being highly related. Three student perception of teacher variables--fosterance of self esteem, rapport and unreasonable negativity--contributed highly to the prediction of student psychological variable scores. It was concluded that sixth grade students of varying academic ability exhibited the same pattern of evaluating their teachers and that their own self esteem, perception of their teachers' level of regard and empathetic understanding strongly influence their perception of their teachers. It was further suggested that student perception of teachers may really be a reflection of student perception of the Institution of Education and student perception of self in relation to that Institution.

Disciplines

Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Included in

Psychology Commons

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