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Urban Students’ Perceptions of Teachers: Views of Students in General, Special, and Honors Education

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Abstract

Students’ satisfaction with school experiences has been linked to their sense of belongingness, connection to school, and achievement. Though the extant research addresses students’ perceptions of school climate and sense of belonging, there is a paucity of research about students’ views of teacher–student interactions. Five hundred and seventy-seven students from one ethnically and academically diverse urban high school were surveyed and interviewed about the nature of teacher talk with students. Findings from this mixed-methods investigation indicate students from general, special, and honors programs experience a wide range of interactions based on academic services received, gender, and ethnicity. More frequent perceived punitive feedback was reported by all students in special education as well as males in general and honors education programs, while Hispanic students indicated a greater frequency of perceived supportive feedback. Findings also reflect a wide range of attitudes and feelings about teachers, the educational system, and learning.

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Acknowledgment

This research supported by a grant from Linking Academic Scholars with Educational Researchers (LASER), a project funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Special Education, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA

    Elizabeth Shaunessy & Patricia Alvarez McHatton

Authors
  1. Elizabeth Shaunessy
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  2. Patricia Alvarez McHatton
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Correspondence to Elizabeth Shaunessy.

Appendices

Appendix 1

Table 3 Teacher Interactions Survey
Full size table

Appendix 2

Focus Group Questions

  1. 1.

    What is “learning” to you?

    1. a.

      If responses all relate only to school experiences, probe about learning outside of school.

    2. b.

      If responses all relate to learning outside of school, probe about how learning relates to Chamberlain HS.

    3. c.

      Probe for examples of a time recently when they were “learning” according to their definition and where this occurred.

  2. 2.

    How are you taught?

  3. 3.

    Think about your relationships with your teachers this year. Think of 1 teacher and a word to describe this relationship. Possible probes:

    1. i.

      Tell us more about your relationship with this (or these) teachers based on the type of interactions you’ve had.

    2. ii.

      How do you interact with your current teachers? (Why this way? With this or these teachers?)

  4. 4.

    If you could choose to have a conversation with a teacher, what would the conversation be about? Who would you like to have a conversation with? Why?

  5. 5.

    What is life like at school for all the students here?

  6. 6.

    What is “success” for you?

    1. a.

      What will it take for you to feel successful?

    2. b.

      What does school have to do with your success?

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Shaunessy, E., McHatton, P.A. Urban Students’ Perceptions of Teachers: Views of Students in General, Special, and Honors Education. Urban Rev 41, 486–503 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-008-0112-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-008-0112-z

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