According to numerous researches, relationships between teachers and pupils influence the cognitive and emotional development of pupils. The communication between pupils and teachers establishes and maintains these mutual relationships. Wubbels and co-workers formed a model, which allows us to analyse the communication between teachers and pupils, and determines the typical communicational style of teachers. The communicational style in leading a classroom represents an important principle for the assurance of quality learning and teaching and for the establishment and maintenance of relationships.
Due to the importance of communicational styles for ensuring an effective learning environment and due to a lack of researches, which would provide insight into the conditions in Slovenia, the main goal of the master’s thesis is to identify the communicational styles of teachers beginners and teachers experts. The subject of the research are also possible differences in the perception of communicational styles between pupils and teachers.
The empirical research was conducted among pupils and teachers of thirteen 4th and 5th grade departments (236 pupils and 12 teachers). In six departments, children have been educated by teachers beginners and in seven by teachers experts. The data was obtained with a survey (QTI) and processed within the framework of the quantitative paradigm of pedagogical research.
The results show that pupils have perceived differences in communicational styles of teachers beginners and experts. Compared to teachers beginners, teachers experts were perceived as more unsatisfied, admonishing and strict. The comparison of teachers and pupils showed that teachers beginners are being perceived to be more in accordance with the pupils’ perception. Compared to pupils, teachers experts perceived their communicational style as more understanding and less inclined to the freedom of pupils and the encouragement of their responsibility. Compared to pupils, teachers beginners perceived their communicational style as more satisfying. In addition to this, the results show that the phase of professional development influences the communicational style of teachers. The communicational style of teachers is also affected by personal experience of teachers and their strategies for responding to changes and problems.
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