Children´s and Teachers´ Beliefs With Regard to “The Good Teacher”

Abstract

The school is the place where children pass most of their time. It is actually the main context in the socialization of childhood and relationships in such a milieu, such as the teacher-student interaction, are highly relevant. The teacher is the adult who remains with the children most of the time, who organizes and structures daily activities and mediates between peers. Current analysis comprises children´s and teachers´ beliefs on the concept of “the good teacher”. Fifth-year eighty-three children and 5 teachers in a government-run school in the state of Paraná, Brazil, participated in the analysis. Student answered on a sheet of paper, whilst teacher participated in a half-structured interview. Results revealed that traits related to responsiveness, such as affection, support, participation and quality in communication, were listed by the students and teachers alike, followed by the importance of limitations and rules. Studies on the theme are relevant since the teacher-student interaction quality affects the life of those involved.