PhD ceremony B. (Bilge) Gençoglu, MA. Understanding student perceptions of teaching behaviour. Towards supporting teachers in interpreting students’ feedback.

Students’ opinions about teaching can be valuable because they experience teaching first-hand every day. This dissertation examines the meaning of students’ opinions.I investigate how students experience teaching behaviour, which factors influence these perceptions, and how this varies between different contexts in secondary education. Better understanding (diverse) student opinions aims to improve the use of student feedback to teachers to promote educational quality. To study what student opinions mean, a combination of deductive and inductive approaches was applied.Some main findings:-    Beyond the instruction in the classroom: Students value observable effective teaching behaviours, teacher’s likeable qualities such as friendliness and empathy, and a supportive school atmosphere that extends beyond academic instruction.-    Inclusiveness and teacher-student connections: Students emphasize the importance of feeling noticed and supported by their teachers. They also appreciate teachers who provide equal opportunities, treat all students fairly, and build a classroom community that makes education accessible to everyone.-    Values, cultural differences, and social desirability: We found that student perceptions of teaching behaviour vary significantly depending on cultural context, highlighting that student perceptions are influenced by values that shape the way students prefer to present themselves in relation to their teachers.Student feedback matters: Understanding these perspectives is crucial for improving teaching and supporting the professional growth of teachers.

Dissertation: https://hdl.handle.net/(...)0b-9830-b840d005a214