A comparison of science and mathematics teachers’ interpersonal behaviour with teachers of other subjects.

The differences in teacher interpersonal behavior between science classes and other subject classes in secondary education are investigated using the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI). Multilevel analysis of variance was used on an existing Dutch data set containing 44,353 students and 605 teachers. 8,503 students (19.2 percent) reported on science teachers. Science teachers were perceived as less dominant and less cooperative. Science teachers perceived themselves as less cooperative. Dominance and cooperativeness are known to be favorable for learning result and students’ appreciation. Hence, science teachers’ different interpersonal behavior contributes to lower appreciation and higher perceived difficulty levels for students regarding the science subjects.