In the perspective of multiple attachment bonds, the teacher-child relationship is considered as one of the fundamental ways to express a crucially relevant bond for the child's emotive and cognitive development. The contextualist approach underlines how the dynamics of interaction between the individual and micro-sociocultural contexts play a mediating role on developmental processes (Cole, 1989; Bruner, 1990; Rogoff, 1990). Studies by Pianta (1992, 1999), in particular, ascribed to the teacher-pupil interaction a crucial developmental function in the adaptation of the child, both in preschool age children and in the subsequent years of primary school. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the teacher-child relationship can be influenced, during the primary school, when the teacher is a male teacher. It is assumed that gender can condition the way the relationship with the student is perceived and the evaluation of her academic skills. 310 children (155 males, 155 females, age range: 73-110 months; Mean = 90.92; SD= 10.845) attending primary schools and their 52 teachers (10 males, 42 females; age range: 26-62 years; Mean = 45.75; SD = 9.205) were involved. An ad-hoc designed questionnaire was employed, with the intent to assess socio-personal data. Moreover, in order to survey the perception of the teacher-pupil relationship, the Italian adaptation of the Student-Teacher Relationship scale was proposed. From the analysis that was carried out, no big differences between the two groups of teachers seem to emerge, with regards to the perception of Closeness, Conflict and Dependency in the teacher-pupil relationship. However, statistically relevant differences appear when considering the way male teachers evaluate their relationship with female children. On the other hand, female teachers, more than their male colleagues, significantly differ in evaluating male pupils, if compared with females, concerning the Closeness and Dependency dimensions.
Teacher gender differences in teacher-child interaction
R. Quaglia;F. G. Gastaldi;L. E. Prino;T. Pasta;C. Longobardi
2013-01-01
Abstract
In the perspective of multiple attachment bonds, the teacher-child relationship is considered as one of the fundamental ways to express a crucially relevant bond for the child's emotive and cognitive development. The contextualist approach underlines how the dynamics of interaction between the individual and micro-sociocultural contexts play a mediating role on developmental processes (Cole, 1989; Bruner, 1990; Rogoff, 1990). Studies by Pianta (1992, 1999), in particular, ascribed to the teacher-pupil interaction a crucial developmental function in the adaptation of the child, both in preschool age children and in the subsequent years of primary school. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the teacher-child relationship can be influenced, during the primary school, when the teacher is a male teacher. It is assumed that gender can condition the way the relationship with the student is perceived and the evaluation of her academic skills. 310 children (155 males, 155 females, age range: 73-110 months; Mean = 90.92; SD= 10.845) attending primary schools and their 52 teachers (10 males, 42 females; age range: 26-62 years; Mean = 45.75; SD = 9.205) were involved. An ad-hoc designed questionnaire was employed, with the intent to assess socio-personal data. Moreover, in order to survey the perception of the teacher-pupil relationship, the Italian adaptation of the Student-Teacher Relationship scale was proposed. From the analysis that was carried out, no big differences between the two groups of teachers seem to emerge, with regards to the perception of Closeness, Conflict and Dependency in the teacher-pupil relationship. However, statistically relevant differences appear when considering the way male teachers evaluate their relationship with female children. On the other hand, female teachers, more than their male colleagues, significantly differ in evaluating male pupils, if compared with females, concerning the Closeness and Dependency dimensions.
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