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The impact of teacher behaviour on the classroom engagement of Normal stream students
Author
Chong, Elizabeth
Supervisor
Khoo, Angeline
Abstract
This study was aimed at investigating the role of teacher behaviour in the classroom, with regard to the provision of classroom structure and teacher involvement in terms of engaging the students in classroom learning, how engagement is related to streaming and one's level of motivation and whether these two factors influence each other in determining the degree of engagement.
The subjects for the study were 160 Secondary 2 Normal Technical and Normal Academic students chosen from 4 secondary schools in the same cluster. In each school, 10 motivated and 10 unmotivated Normal Technical students as well as 10 motivated and 10 unmotivated Normal Academic students responded to the classroom engagement instrument. The form teachers were given a list of descriptors defining 'motivated' and 'unmotivated' students and instructed to issue the instrument to students that fit the descriptions.
The instrument was a 14-item questionnaire out of which 7 items measured behavioural engagement and the other 7 measured emotional engagement. Each student was made to respond to one type of teacher behaviour on the questionnaire. There were altogether four types of teacher behaviour represented in the form of vignettes, each randomly distributed to different groups of students.
The results revealed that it mattered more to the students that the teacher provided class structure rather than teacher involvement. A student would be most engaged when taught by a teacher who provided both class structure and teacher involvement and least engaged when taught by a teacher who did not provide class structure and teacher involvement. Normal Technical students were found to be more highly engaged than Normal Academic students, regardless of teacher behaviour. Motivated students were also more highly engaged than unmotivated students.
The subjects for the study were 160 Secondary 2 Normal Technical and Normal Academic students chosen from 4 secondary schools in the same cluster. In each school, 10 motivated and 10 unmotivated Normal Technical students as well as 10 motivated and 10 unmotivated Normal Academic students responded to the classroom engagement instrument. The form teachers were given a list of descriptors defining 'motivated' and 'unmotivated' students and instructed to issue the instrument to students that fit the descriptions.
The instrument was a 14-item questionnaire out of which 7 items measured behavioural engagement and the other 7 measured emotional engagement. Each student was made to respond to one type of teacher behaviour on the questionnaire. There were altogether four types of teacher behaviour represented in the form of vignettes, each randomly distributed to different groups of students.
The results revealed that it mattered more to the students that the teacher provided class structure rather than teacher involvement. A student would be most engaged when taught by a teacher who provided both class structure and teacher involvement and least engaged when taught by a teacher who did not provide class structure and teacher involvement. Normal Technical students were found to be more highly engaged than Normal Academic students, regardless of teacher behaviour. Motivated students were also more highly engaged than unmotivated students.
Date Issued
2000
Call Number
LB3013 Cho
Date Submitted
2000