How Well Do Science Teachers Do? Differences in Teacher-Student Interpersonal Behavior Between Science Teachers and Teachers of Other (School) 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 cooperation are known to be favorable for learning results and students’ subject related attitudes. Hence, science teachers’ different interpersonal behavior contributes to lower appreciation and higher perceived difficulty levels for students regarding the science subjects.