An investigation of the relationship of teacher effectiveness and teacher and student social styles.

Abstract

Teachers' and students' social styles responses were classified into one of four social styles: analytic, amiable, driver, or expressive. Results showed that teacher effectiveness was significantly related to teachers' and students' social styles, but the amount of variance accounted for between teacher effectiveness and social styles, r('2), was not meaningful. Results of an independent measures t-test showed that students who were similar (homophilous) to their teacher's social style rated their teacher significantly more effective than students who were dissimilar (heterophilous) to their teachers' social style. A 2 x 2 x 2 way factorial analysis of variance (high and low responsiveness, assertiveness, and versatility) showed non-significant results for all except the main effect versatility and the interaction effect for assertiveness and responsiveness.

This study investigated the relationship between students' perceptions of their teacher's effectiveness and teachers' and students' social styles. Social style was measured by the use of the Social Style Profile Instrument (Buchholz, Lashbrook, and Wenburg, 1976). Teacher effectiveness was measured by a 21-item factor-analyzed unidimensional scale obtained from items taken from the Purdue Rating Scale and the Idea Form.

Further research needs to be conducted using quartiles instead of medians to calculate an individual's social style.