PUPIL-TEACHER RELATIONS

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28371, 2 September 1957, Page 7

PUPIL-TEACHER RELATIONS

U.S. Educationists Study In N.Z.

Although the standard of training given in teacher training colleges in New Zealand was comparable to that in United States colleges, American teachers were required to have higher academic qualifications, said Professor Ned A. Flanders, associate professor of educational psychology at the University of Minnesota, Who is in Christchurch to conduct studies in teacher-pupil relationships for the New Zealand Council for Educational Research.

Professor Flanders said yesterday that American teachers in most States had to undergo about four years’ training before they attained their teachers’ certificates, and most gained bachelors’ degrees before they began teaching in primary and secondary schools This was the result of a system that had evolved over the last two decades to improve the standard of teachers. Teacher Shortage

America suffered from a shortage of qualified teachers in much the same degree as New Zealand did, and in both countries the remuneration offered was not sufficient to attract “the really topnotch’’ people, he said. Bursaries to student teachers were not available in his country and there did not seem to be any great need for them. Many students went to college on scholarships—some of which were quite generous—and others worked their way through college. The study of teacher-pupil relationships in which he specialised was not conducted oh a very large scale in this country, although some individual educationists had been engaged in the field for the last few years. Professor Flanders said that he was here on a Fulbright appointment with the Council for Educational Research to help begin a fairly comprehensive study of primary school programmes and to co-ordinate the work of New Zealand educationist in teacherpupil relationships in the classroom.

He had found that teachers’ attitudes in the two countries varied, but that the reactions of pupils were very similar. The average parent in New Zealand and America was not familiar with the idea of research on how to teach, and there was a small minority which felt that any change was for the worse. But any change based on proper research was going to be a change for the good. Professor Flanders said.

By studying the reactions of pupils to the actions of teachers, it was possible to give teachers some guidance in the way children were likely to react to certain attitudes.