Characteristics of teachers of the gifted and their students' perceptions of classroom climate /
| Main Author: | |
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| Other Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1989.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Link to OAKTrust copy |
| Abstract: | The purpose of this study was to examine classroom climate in relationship to student ability and teacher characteristics. Gifted students' perceptions of climate were compared to the norms for the MCI. The relationship between selected teacher characteristics and gifted students' perceptions of climate, as measured by the My Class Inventory (MCI), was examined. In addition, differences between gifted and nongifted students' perceptions of climate were also compared. Because the teacher is considered to be the most influential person in the classroom, he or she can be viewed as one of the factors that sets the climate. In order to gain insight about classroom climate, instruments were used to assess the climate that measure the participants' perceptions about the classroom environment. An instrument was developed to record characteristics (e.g., the teacher is systematic, the teacher encourages application and analysis through questions) of eight teachers during their instruction of both gifted and nongifted classes. For each of these teachers, two 50-minute periods of instruction were observed. The MCI, designed to measure students' perceptions of classroom climate, was then administered to both the gifted and nongifted classes of these eight teachers in grades two, three, four, five, six, and eight. The student population surveyed consisted of 275 students, 139 gifted students and 136 nongifted students. The MCI assessed five areas of climate: Satisfaction, Cohesiveness, Competitiveness, Difficulty, and Friction. The study found that gifted students' perceptions of Cohesiveness and Competitiveness were greater that those compared to the norms for the MCI. Analyses of the data demonstrated that there was no significant relationship between characteristics of teachers of the gifted and their students' perceptions of classroom climate. Teachers in this study exhibited consistent patterns of behavior across gifted and nongifted classes. That is, on the average, those teacher behaviors observed during instruction with gifted classes were also observed within the teacher during instruction with nongifted classes. Lastly, this research indicated that gifted students perceived greater Satisfaction (i.e., liking for the class) than nongifted students. |
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| Item Description: | Typescript (photocopy). Vita. "Major subject: Curriculum and Instruction." |
| Physical Description: | viii, 93 leaves ; 29 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references. |