Using the "Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction
J. (1995). Using the "Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction" in the
Professional Development of Teachers.. Australian Journal of Teacher Education
Australian Journal of Teacher Education
0 Darrell Fisher Curtin University of Technology
1 John Cresswell Curtin University of Technology
2 Barry Fraser Curtin University of Technology
3 Carol A. Christensen The University of Queensland
Part of the Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons Recommended Citation
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Article 2
Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte
USING THE QUESTIONNAIRE ON TEACHER INTERACTION
IN THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHERS
Darrell Fisher Barry Fraser John Cresswell Curtin University of Technology
For some time in Australia, the Schools Council
of the National Board of Employment, Education.
and Training has been concerned with issues con
cerning the quality of teaching as evidenced
through its reports on Teacher Quality: An Issues
Paper (1989) and Australia's Teachers: An Agenda
for the Next Decade (1990). These reports and oth
ers highlight the need for teachers to examine
continually what they do in their classrooms.
Most recently, teacher quality and the need for
continued professional development of teachers
has been the subject of a ministerial statement
(Beazley, 1993). This report notes how the impact
of, and responsibility for, effective implementa
tion of change in curriculum and teaching prac
tice falls mainly on teachers. This article assists
teachers because it focuses on a technique which
teachers can use for examining what is occurring
in their own classrooms.
ASSESSING INTERPERSONAL BEHAVIOUR
OF TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM
International research efforts involving the con
ceptualisation, assessment and investigation of
perceptions of psychosocial aspects of the class
room environment have firmly established class
room environment as a thriving field of study
(Fraser, 1994; Fraser & Walberg, 1991)
. For exam
ple, recent classroom environment research has
focus sed on science laboratory classroom envi
ronments
(McRobbie & Fraser, 1993)
, construc
tivist classroom environments
(Taylor, Fraser &
White, 1994)
and computer-assisted instruction
classrooms (Teh & Fraser, in press).
Recently, a team of researchers .in The
Netherlands extended this research by focusing
specifically on the interpersonal relationships
between teachers and their students as assessed
by the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI)
(Brekelmans, Wubbels & Creton, 1990; Wubbels,
Brekelmans & Hooymayers, 1991; Wubbels,
Creton & Hooymayers, 1992; Wubbels & Levy,
1993)
. This article describes this instrument,
reports its cross-validation with an Australian
sample, and describes case studies of its use as a
basis for teachers' reflection on their teaching.
The Dutch researchers
(Wubbels, Creton and
Holvast, 1988)
investigated teacher behaviour in
classrooms from a systems perspective, adapting
a theory on communication processes developed
by Watzlawick, Beavin and Jackson (1967).
Within the systems perspective on communica
tion, it is assumed that the behaviours of partici
pants influence each other mutually. The behav
iour of the teacher is influenced by the behaviour
of the students and in turn influences student
behaviour. Circular communication processes
develop which not only consist of behaviour, but
determine behaviour as well.
With the systems perspective in mind, Wubbels,
Creton and Hooymayers (1985) developed a
model to map interpersonal teacher behaviour
extrapolated from the work of
Leary (1957)
. In
the adaptation of the Leary model, teacher behav
iour is mapped with a Proximity dimension
(Cooperation, C - Opposition, 0) and an influ
ence dimension (Dominance, 0, - Submission, S)
to form eight sectors, each describing different
behaviour aspects: Leadership, Helpful/Friendly,
Understanding, Student Responsibility and
Freedom, Uncertain, Dissatisfied, Admonishing
and Strict behaviour. Figure 1 displays typical
behaviours for each sector; for a more detailed
explanation of the model, the reader is referred to
Wubbels, Brekelmans and Hooymayers (1991).
The Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) is
based on this model.
When the QTI is administered to both teachers
and their students, information is provided about
the perceptions of teachers and the perceptions of
students of the interpersonal behaviour of the
teacher. The information obtained by means of
the questionnaire includes perceptions of the
behaviour of the teacher towards the students as
a class, and reflects relatively stable patterns of
behaviour over a considerable period.
The original 77-item version of the QTI has been
shown to be a valid and reliable instrument when
used in The Netherlands
(Wubbels, Brekelmans
& Hooymayers, 1991)
. Its cross-cultural validity
and usefulness has been confirmed for the USA
(Wubbels & Levy, 1991, 1993)
. Table 1 indicates
alpha reliabilities for samples of students and
tea (...truncated)