Abstract
We investigated how teachers’ and students’ interpersonal behaviour patterns unfold and adapt to each other over time, during the lesson start. Using a continuous coding approach, observers rated moment-to-moment levels of Agency and Communion in teacher and student behaviour during the first 10 minutes of a lesson in 35 classrooms. Based on the resulting time-series data we derived several indicators of interpersonal adaptation (e.g., entrainment of linear trends, synchronicity of rhythmic qualities). We examined to what degree the principle of interpersonal complementarity of interaction between people (sameness for Communion, oppositeness for Agency) applies to teacher-student interaction and how the specific professional role and status of the teacher would affect this. Our expectations of interpersonal adaptation were basically confirmed in the present study. In most of the 35 classrooms, teacher and student behaviour during the lesson start was consistent with the overall principle of interpersonal complementarity. The results were also in line with expectations about violations of the general principle, given the professional role of the teacher (e.g., refrainment from hostility). Our exploration of the relation between momentary interpersonal dynamics and long-term teacher interpersonal style supported ourconjecture that attention to micro-processes in classrooms (e.g., pattern of variability, anticipation of behaviour) adds to outcome-oriented, macro-level investigations of teacher-student interaction.
Original language | English |
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Publication status | Unpublished - 2017 |
Event | 17th Biennial EARLI Conference - University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland Duration: 29 Aug 2017 → 2 Sept 2017 https://earli.org/earli-2017 |
Conference
Conference | 17th Biennial EARLI Conference |
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Abbreviated title | EARLI 2017 |
Country/Territory | Finland |
City | Tampere |
Period | 29/08/17 → 2/09/17 |
Internet address |