Gender and Teacher-Student Interactions in Middle School Science

The interpersonal interaction between teachers and students comprises a large part of the classroom learning environment and can greatly influence student attitudes and achievement. Past research has shown that a key factor in improving student achievement and attitudes is to create learning environments which emphasize characteristics that are linked empirically with achievement and attitudes. The Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) was used to investigate outcome-environment associations, and to compare male and female students in terms of their attitudes, classroom environment perceptions and achievement. A modified form of the TOSRA measured students attitudes to science. Students quarterly (nine-week) science grade was used to measure student achievement. A strong relationship was found between student outcomes (attitudes and achievement) and many of the eight QTI scales. Gender differences in students perceptions of teacher interpersonal behavior, attitudes towards science, and science achievement were also revealed. In general, relative to males, female students had more positive perceptions of teacher interpersonal behavior and higher academic achievement