The Effect of Perceived Teacher Behaviors on Students’ Self-Esteem and Attitudes Towards Learning

Abstract

While it depends on many factors for the teacher to achieve the assumed mission apart from themselves, the quality of the relationship established between the teacher and student is among the prominent factors that enable the student to reach the target behaviors. Considering the role of educational institutions as the protective factor for students and the efficiency of teachers in this process, the main purpose of this research was determined as examining the effect of the perceived teacher behaviors on the self-esteem of students and their attitudes towards learning. 306 students randomly selected from among the 9th, 10th and 11th grades from Anatolian high schools in Kadikoy, Istanbul were applied scales of Perceived Teacher Behaviors, Self-Esteem and Attitudes towards Learning, and the obtained data was analyzed by Pearson Moments Correlation and Regression Analysis techniques. The findings revealed that the perceived teacher attitudes and its sub-dimensions were negatively and weakly correlated with self-esteem, moderately positive and weakly correlated with attitudes toward learning scale sub-dimensions (p < 0.05; p < 0.01). According to results, it was determined that the perceived teacher behaviours negatively affected the self-esteem and positively affected the nature of learning, expectation and openness dimensions in the sub-dimensions of the attitudes towards learning and negatively affected the learning-related anxiety. It was found that while 7% change in self-esteem is explained by Factor 2 (positive teacher behaviors) and this factor negatively affected the self-esteem; Factor 2 on the anxiety dimension of the attitudes about learning and Factor 1 and Factor 3 explaining the behaviors of teachers that are considered within the scope of emotional abuse explain the 15% of the change in anxiety, and that these factors negatively affected anxiety; Factor 1 and Factor 4 (negative teacher behaviors) Factor 2 (positive teacher behaviors) explained 19% of the change in the dimension of openness to learning, and these factors had a negative effect on the dimension of openness.