Three Conceptions of the Role of Teacher

Abstract

That the personality of a teacher has a direct bearing upon classroom dynamics is generally acknowledged; how personality influences manifest teaching behavior is as yet unclear. This article seeks to clarify some of the relationships which exist between a teacher's interpersonal structure and psychological needs, and how those needs can be expressed through the role of teacher. The effects which three distinct role conceptualizations have on classes and pupils are reviewed and examined.

Three teacher typologies (Ambitious, Conscientious, and Indulgent), each linked to a side of personality structure, are described. The discussion focuses upon responses to the stimulus TEACHER as elicited from teacher trainees through the administration of a word association test. The response patterns of three trainees, who may be seen as prototypical of the three teaching types, are analyzed. Three contrasting configurations of psychological needs and educational priorities are suggested by the trainees’ response patterns, each having implications for teaching behavior and teacher-pupil relationships. The discussion concludes by presenting methods of integrating word association data into a training format which can provide individuals with a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of themselves as teachers.