| Author: | Lee, Chi-ho |
| Title: | Students' experiences of teacher-student relationship and their influences on students' motivation to learn |
| Degree: | M.Ed. |
| Year: | 2004 |
| Subject: | Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations Teacher-student relationships -- China -- Hong Kong Motivation in education -- China -- Hong Kong |
| Department: | School of Professional Education and Executive Development |
| Pages: | ix, 54, 12, 5 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm. |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | This study investigated students' perceptions of their relationship with teachers in effective versus ineffective modules in post-secondary vocational education in Hong Kong. The main concern was the influences of such interpersonal relationship on students' motivation to learn. The following specific research questions are addressed: Q1) To what extent is the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) a reliable and valid instrument for measuring teacher-student relationship in the context of post-secondary vocational education in Hong Kong? Q2) Are there any significant differences between Western and Chinese students' actual experiences of teacher-student relationship in 'effective' versus 'ineffective' classes, as measured by the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI)? Q3) Is there any significant relationship between students' actual experiences of teacher-student relationship and their motivation to learn? Q4) Are there any significant differences in students' experiences of teacher-student relationship and motivation to learn between modules with perceived effective and ineffective learning? Q5) Are there any significant differences in students' perceptions of teacher-student relationship and motivation to learn with respect to effective and ineffective learning between two groups of students enrolled in two different post-secondary vocational education institutes? Q6) Are there any significant gender and disciplinary differences in students' perceptions of teacher-student relationship and motivation to learn with respect to effective and ineffective learning? Students' perceptions of their actual experiences of teacher-student relationship were measured by the Australian version of the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) and their motivation to study is measured by Richmond's (1990) motivation scale. Another instrument developed by the researcher was also used to measure students' perception of their overall relationship with the teacher. Two groups of students (n = 207) from two different post-secondary vocational education institutes participated in this study. Data were collected by a bilingual version (in English and Chinese) of a student questionnaire administered at the end of the first semester of the academic year. Results showed that QTI can be regarded as quite reliable but only partially valid in the context under study. In modules with effective learning, teachers are perceived to demonstrate strong leading, helpful, friendly and understanding behaviours, while in modules with ineffective learning, teachers tend to show more dissatisfied behaviour. It is also found that the teachers' helpful, friendly and understanding behaviours have the most contributions to a positive overall teacher-student relationship. On the other hand, teachers' leadership behaviour has a significant positive impact on the students' motivation to learn, while teachers' dissatisfied behaviour has a negative impact. Generally, Chinese students in Hong Kong have similar patterns of perceived teacher-student relationship in both effective and ineffective modules with their counterparts in the Western contexts, but the ratings on teachers' interpersonal behaviours are more moderate for students in Hong Kong. Except for the teachers' student responsibility/freedom and strict behaviours, students' perceived experiences of teacher-student relationship and motivation to learn are found to be significantly different between modules with effective and ineffective learning. However, no statistically significant differences were found in the students' perceptions of teacher-student relationship and motivation to learn between groups of students in the two institutes, gender and across disciplines of study. To conclude, teachers' interpersonal behaviour was found to be an important aspect of the learning environment and is strongly related to students' motivation to study. Emphasizing behaviours from the leadership, friendly and understanding sectors of the interpersonal teacher behaviour model is likely to promote student affective learning outcomes. For uncertain, dissatisfied and admonishing behaviours, the relation is in the opposition direction. The implication is that in the context of post-secondary vocational education, it is still important for the teachers to adopt the appropriate approaches to build up a productive teacher-student relationship, in order to improve student learning. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
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| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b17787658.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 3.11 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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