Primary school teachers' perceptions of pupils' behaviours and achievement : a Gozo study

Abstract

The major aim of this study was to investigate primary school teachers' perceptions of pupil's behaviours and academic achievement. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to the entire population of primary school teachers in Gozo. According to the entire sample, the most frequently occurring behaviours amongst boy pupils was; 'is restless or over-active' while 'is very talkative' was found in girls. The achievement statement which teachers agreed with the most was; 'boys are less likely to double-check their work' while 'girls are more organized and neat in their work' in girls. Pupil-sex was significantly found to influence teachers' perceptions of pupils' behaviours and academic achievements. Conversely, the grouping variables; sex of teacher (male or female), type of school (State or Church) and teaching experience (less or more than 10 years of experience) were not found to be significantly impacting on teachers' perceptions of pupils' behaviours and academic attainments.