Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2005. / Supervisors: Diane L. Schallert and Lisa S. Goldstein. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Because students may seek discussions most often with approachable adults, and such discussions may be more potentially helpful than discussions initiated otherwise, approachability of adults on school staffs was studied. Some potential correlates of approachability were examined: sex and age of adults, similarity-dissimilarity of students' and adults' value patterns, and adults' knowledge of particular students' value preferences. Five hypotheses based upon the theories of Heider and Newcomb, who postulated that persons are attracted to others perceived as like, were formulated. A sixth hypothesis concerning the relative importance of correlates was to be investigated if the first five were supported. Adults' approachability was studied for three kinds (contexts) of serious discussions: (1) of an impersonal problem, (2) of vocational choice, and (3) of personal problems. Two kinds of value patterns, factual values and normative/instrumental values, suggested by the theoretical categories of Margenau and Rokeach were studied. Grade-XII students and the adults known to at least 30 percent of them in each of five British Columbia secondary schools formed the sample. Approachability results were based on 371 students making choices among 115 adults. An adult's approachability score was formed by dividing the times he was chosen for a context by the number of students who knew him. In all schools, for all contexts, a small number of adult Ss were very often chosen, about a third chosen by a few students, and about 50 percent not chosen. Results pertaining to hypotheses were: 1. Adults were chosen proportionately more often by students of the same sex for vocational-choice and personal problems contexts (p < .001, using chi square). In the impersonal- topic context, male adults were chosen proportionately more often by male and female students (p < .001 by chi square test). 2. Youngest adults were not chosen proportionately more often for any context. Adults in the 31-40 and 51-60 age ranges were those chosen proportionately more often in most schools for all contexts (p < .001 by chi square test). 3. Students did not choose adults with similar factual-value patterns proportionately more often: no relationship was found between similarity of adults with students- in-general who knew them and approachability, or between mean value-pattern correlations of an adult with students who chose and did not choose him. 4. Students did not choose adults with similar normative/instrumental-value patterns proportionately more often. Neither of the possible relationships noted in (3) was found. 5. On the basis of results from a sub-sample of 27 adults, adults' more accurate knowledge of students' value preferences was not related to their approachability. A discussion of results included the following points: 1. Students appeared to have made choices on the basis of the adult's school role: social studies teachers, most of whom were male, were often chosen for impersonal topic discussions, suggesting that role rather than sex-similarity-dissimilarity led to disproportionate choices; counselors were often chosen for the other two contexts, and several of them were in the age ranges proportionately more often chosen, suggesting that role, rather than age, may have contributed to the disproportions. 2. Possible gaps in communication of adults' and students' values to each other and/or weaknesses in instrumentation may have contributed to the lack of clear relationships between approachability and value patterns and knowledge of students' value preferences. Informal observations by the investigator during the course of the study were listed , among them an apparent positive relationship between adult liveliness and approachability. Further research was suggested on the correlates of approachability of adults with similar roles, on adult liveliness and approachability, and on students' perceptions of adults' values and approachability. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

M.A. (Psychology) / This study was conducted in an attempt to determine whether children defined as predominating on traits of aggressiveness, assertiveness and submissiveness would model aggressive behaviour elicited by an aggressive teacher within a classroom situation. The experimental hypotheses were: 1. Aggressive children will become more aggressive with an aggressive teacher. 2. Assertive children will become neither more aggressive nor more compliant with an aggressive teacher. 3. Submissive children will become more submissive with an aggressive teacher. One hundred and ninety six primary school pupils in standard two and three were assessed for aggressiveness, assertiveness and submissiveness within their specific classrooms by means of a self - report inventory. The teachers of the classes were tested and assigned to either an experimental aggressive group or a nonaggressive control group. Each class then underwent observation in order to determine whether aggressive teachers had any effects on the aggressive behaviour of aggressive, assertive and submissive children in the normal classroom situation. The results of the study did not substantiate the hypotheses. It was found that aggressive teachers did not necessarily elicit aggressive responses from the children. These findings suggested that situational constraints inhibited aggressive behaviour.

archives@tulane.edu / Positive school climate is associated with a broad range of student benefits across diverse student populations. However, Black1 students often report less positive perceptions of school climate than their peers, which could lead to decreased school engagement. One important aspect of school climate, teacher-student relationships, may promote positive student outcomes such as engagement. Specifically, supportive and structured teacher behaviors are associated with greater student engagement, which in turn may predict ongoing supportive and structured teaching, but current literature examining these associations underrepresents Black students and their teachers. The current study was completed in elementary and middle school classrooms in four New Orleans public charter schools with majority Black student populations. It was hypothesized that across grade levels and levels of teacher experience in education, supportive and structured teaching at the beginning of the year would be positively associated with student engagement at mid-year, and that mid-year student engagement would positively mediate the association between supportive and structured teaching at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year. Results supported the hypothesized association between beginning-of-the-year supportive and structured teaching and mid-year student engagement. However, results did not support the hypothesized association between beginning-of-the-year supportive and structured teaching and end-of-year supportive and structured teaching, nor was there a mediation effect of mid-year student engagement. The current findings extend the literature promoting supportive and structured teaching as an effective tool for student engagement to include classrooms with predominantly Black students. Results and implications are discussed in the context of supportive and structured teaching, student engagement, and the broader construct of school climate. 1The author of the current study notes the diversity of racial and ethnic backgrounds represented by individuals identifying as Black. As this racial group includes individuals with origins from any of the black racial and ethnic groups of the world, including those from African countries and the Caribbean, the current document adopts the terminology of Kena and colleagues (2015) and uses the term Black as an inclusive term representing these diverse groups. / 1 / Elizabeth McIntyre

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Thesis (M.I.T.)--The Evergreen State College, 2010. / Title from title screen (viewed 7/7/2010). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-99).

There is little longitudinal, empirical evidence on which to base our understanding of teacher development in higher education. Although there is an extensive literature about teachers’ conceptions of and approaches to teaching, which acts as a useful theoretical foundation, there are a number of limitations in using these broad categories of description for investigating complex experiences such as teaching and teacher development. The aim of the current investigation was to provide an insight into how new lecturers in higher education develop as teachers and to identify some of the main influences upon this development. An important consideration in this was the use of fine-grained analysis to produce a more detailed account of teachers’ experiences than the traditional conceptions of teaching categories allow. The study employed a qualitative, longitudinal design with three semi-structured interviews over a two-year period. The eleven participating teachers had less than two years experience and were from a range of higher education institutions and settings. The teachers were from the subject areas of Sport, Physiotherapy, Psychology and History. Interviews were designed to encourage the participants to describe their everyday teaching experiences. The purpose of this was to ensure that the data represented real and specific instances rather than the questions generating general, idealistic responses. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed based upon the principles of building theories from case study research. In the first part of the main analysis, full case studies for three participants were developed to illustrate their experiences of development over the two-year period. This approach allowed for the generation of fine-grained and idiosyncratic insights into how new teachers in higher education typically develop. The second main part of the analysis identified a number of common themes in the data. This stage of the analysis was a highly iterative process that moved between the case studies, the interview transcripts and the literature. A range of criteria were used to check the analysis and ensure its quality. The principal finding from the current study was the identification of a number of influences upon the new teachers’ development. At the core of these influences were instances of interactions with students. These instances provided the teachers with richer and fuller feedback about their teaching, which appeared to support their development. There were also a number of other influences upon development, which in themselves impacted upon the amount and level of interaction between the teacher and students. These included confidence as a teacher and familiarity with the teaching situation, both of which were strongly related to the teacher’s content and pedagogical knowledge. The final influence, which also was seen to interact with the other influences, was the peer support and training received by the teacher in relation to teaching. Despite these common influences the idiosyncratic contextual factors, such as topic to be taught, also emerged as being significant for the way an individual taught and developed as a teacher. Based upon these insights, it is suggested that teacher development could be enhanced by focussing upon specific instances of interactions with students. These instances appear to provide highly specific and tangible moments that allow the conceptual aspects of teaching and development to be discussed, but also give an insight into the real challenges that a particular teacher is facing in their subject at a particular time.

"It has often been stated by many writers from their own personal observations, but without experimental evidence, that if pupils and teachers work in harmony with a mutual feeling of understanding and cooperation, a friendly atmosphere will result which is conducive to effective learning. On the other hand, teachers who are aloof and unfriendly and who irritate and antagonize their pupils destroy interests and incentives for learning, and promote, instead, resentment, unwholesome attitudes, and personality disorders. It is the purpose of this paper to support or refute such statements"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "May, 1945." / "Submitted to the Graduate Committee of the Florida State College for Women in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Advisor: Christine B. Scarborough, Instructor in Psychology. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 29-33).

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