A Comparative Study of Students’ Perceptions of Teacher Interaction in the English Classroom by Grade

Abstract

The paper examined the English classroom in relation to teacher interaction among secondary school students and the differences between Grade 8, 9, and 10. The research design conducted was quantitative and descriptive-comparative and the samples comprised 1,500 students who were administered the Urdu version of the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI-U). The review showed that the overall perception of students toward teacher interactions is positive, and the leadership, understanding, and helping/friendly behaviors are the most conspicuous. It was found to have moderate levels of student responsibility and strictness and low levels of negative behaviors like admonishing, uncertainty, and dissatisfaction. The results of ANOVA showed a significant difference between the overall perceptions of the grades with the Grade 10 students giving higher positive perceptions than Grade 8 and 9. Analysis of post hoc established that perceptions increased with increase in grade levels. The results support the value of supportive and structured behaviors of teachers in creating desirable classroom conditions and point to teacher training and school policy to focus on appropriate interaction strategies based on student developmental demands.