The importance of teacher-student interpersonal relationships for Turkish students' attitudes towards science

Telli S., den Brok P., ÇAKIROĞLU J.

RESEARCH IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGICAL EDUCATION, vol.28, no.3, pp.261-276, 2010 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 28 Issue: 3
  • Publication Date: 2010
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/02635143.2010.501750
  • Journal Name: RESEARCH IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGICAL EDUCATION
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.261-276
  • Keywords: science education, interpersonal relationship, attitudes, EDUCATIONAL-EFFECTIVENESS, BEHAVIOR
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine associations between Turkish high school students' perceptions of their science teachers' interpersonal behaviour and their attitudes towards science. Students' perceptions of the teacher-student interpersonal relationship were mapped with the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI), which uses two relational dimensions: influence and proximity. Data on Students' subject-related attitudes were collected with the Test of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA). A total of 7484 students (Grades 9 to 11) from 278 science classes (55 public schools) in 13 major Turkish cities participated in the study. Multilevel analyses of variance indicated that influence was related with student enjoyment, while proximity was associated with attitudes towards inquiry and with enjoyment.