Application of QTI query to explore the opinions of teacher students of the Carpathian Basin about ideal teacher interaction

Abstract

Interaction is considered a basic form of interpersonal contacts from communication theory, psychology and sociology. The process of education can be understood as a chain of mutual impacts between individuals (teacher-pupils or pupils-pupils) (Buda, 1986; Morel et al., 2000; Dagarin, 2004; Vincze, 2013). Building on Watzlawick’s communication theory (1967) and Leary’s interpersonal behaviour model (1957), Wubbels et al. (1987) developed their own model and measuring tool (QTI), which is apt to describe and measure the teacher’s interactional behaviour. QTI is focused on the complex examination of interaction in three dimensions. We conducted our research in the first dimension, which is the assessment of the ideal teacher interaction, using the Hungarian version of the 48-item measurement tool applied by Fisher et al. (1995). Our objectives were to (1) adapt a Hungarian version of the QTI query, (2) map the opinions formed by the 358 teacher students living in the Carpathian Basin and having Hungarian as their mother tongue on the ideal teacher interaction and finally (3) detect the variances caused by the background variables. According to the gained results, (1) ideal teacher interactions are characterized by directing (DC), helpful (CD), and understanding (CS) manner, while imposingness (DO) and compliance (SC) are evaluated diversely. (2) Concerning the background variables (gender, specialization, country and type of secondary school), significant differences have been found only in terms of the last two QTI variables. Keywords: teacher interaction, teachers’ interpersonal classroom behaviour, QTI, teacher training