Abstract
This study explored the content and nature of teachers’ knowledge and perceptions of their students. The knowledge and perceptions of seven Dutch secondary school teachers regarding the same 33 students in one second-year school class were studied. Each teacher was invited to tell (in 60 s per student) how he/she perceived and what he/she knew about, each individual student. Interview data were analysed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Results showed within- and between-teacher differences in the content, amount and evaluative nature of their knowledge and perceptions. In addition, there were within- and between-student differences in how their teachers knew and perceived them. The results suggest that teachers’ knowledge and perceptions of their students varies per teacher-student combination and substantiate an interpersonal nature of teachers’ knowledge and perceptions. To understand the function of teachers’ knowledge and perceptions of students for teaching, future research should focus on how different knowledge and perceptions lead to differential educational trajectories for individual or specific groups of students.
Highlights
There is an increasing plea that education should become more learner-centered (Reigeluth and Carr-Chellman 2012; Watson and Reigeluth 2008)
More than two decades ago, McCombs and Whisler (1997) described learner-centred education as a perspective that couples a focus on individual learners with a focus on learning. (p.8)
Teachers are expected to adapt their instructional practices to the needs of individual students (Mills et al 2014; Onderwijsraad 2017; Prud’homme et al 2006)
Summary
There is an increasing plea that education should become more learner-centered (Reigeluth and Carr-Chellman 2012; Watson and Reigeluth 2008). Many scholars (e.g., Corno 2008; Parsons et al 2017; Tomlinson et al 2003) have followed this perspective, stating that learners are distinct and unique and that their individual differences must be taken into account to provide them with the necessary challenges and opportunities for learning. For their own part, schools and educators turned to this perspective and are currently transforming their practices into more learner-centred forms of education. Remarks or description about how well the teacher knows the student
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