PERCEIVED AND OBSERVED SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES OF THE SAME TEACHERS IN ADULT AND PRE-ADULT CLASSROOMS.

Abstract

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254 p.

There is a substantial body of prescriptive literature in the field of adult continuing education which offers compelling evidence that adults differ from pre-adults in ways that are likely to, and should, affect the behavior of teachers. Few studies, however, have attempted to describe the actual practices of teachers in adult as opposed to pre-adult classrooms. This study was designed to analyze such current similarities and differences in practice.Phase One of the study analyzed perceived similarities and differences in teaching, as well as perceptions of the differences between adults and pre-adults as learners, as reported by 115 teachers completing a survey questionnaire. Phase Two analyzed the actual (observed) teaching practices of 15 teachers, whose classroom interaction patterns in both adult and pre-adult classes were categorized and recorded using the French and Galloway IDER system of behavioral analysis. Individual and overall interaction differences were analyzed, as were differences between comparison groups selected on 11 characteristics suggested by Phase One or by previous studies to be related to teaching differences.Teachers perceived significant differences between adults and pre-adults as learners and reported that they were significantly more encouraging with pre-adults and significantly less directive and controlling with adults. Analysis of observed teaching differences, however, concurred with the theory of static role performance suggested by Scheflen and Goffman. While the quality of student participation differed in adult classes, the character of overall interaction remained constant. Teachers were more encouraging and overtly directive with pre-adults, but maintained the same balance of teacher-student interaction in adult classes through more subtle, nonverbally controlling behavior. Only where teachers altered the room arrangement and their proxemic relationship to adult students were differences consistent with the magnitude and direction of reported differences observed. Less experienced teachers, female teachers, teachers of personal enrichment adult classes, secondary school teachers, and teachers reporting high teaching differences were less directive in both adult and pre-adult classes than teachers in other comparison groups.