Teacher’s Personality as One of the Possible Factors of Perception of the Subject: the Example of Science

Abstract

The goal of the research survey was to determine whether the teacher represents one of the possible factors which influence the perception of the subject (attitude to it) using the example of Science among lower-secondary students. In the research survey, 261 students of the 9th grade participated. To fulfil the goals of the research survey a questionnaire with interval questions based on Lickert scaling was used. To determine the influence of the teacher on the perception of Science among lower-secondary students—ISCED 2—analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was employed. As independent variables, items from the demographic section of the research tool were used (gender, residence, the number of Science teachers the student had and gender of the current teacher). As the dependent variable, average scores in the questionnaire items for individual groups were used in this case. The average score in the items related to the opinion on the teacher served as a covariate. From the results of the study, it is evident that the teacher’s personality influences the perception of the subject. After filtering out the influence of the teacher, the difference in gender and residence of the student didn’t prove as significant. A significant difference could be identified in the number of Science teachers the student had and the gender of the teacher who taught the students during the realisation of the research survey. In the final part implications for teaching practice and further possibilities of the research concerning this topic are provided.