THE ROLE OF THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHER

Abstract

This paper has attempted to answer empirically the question ‘What images have students of the primary and secondary school teacher?’ To this end, a role definition test (see Appendix) was given to 345 first‐, second‐ and third‐year women students in a college of education and to 68 non‐student women. Significant differences were perceived, with the role of the primary teachers seen as more ‘open’ than that of the secondary teachers. Differences on items relating to the instrumental order of the school were very large for all groups and increased with length of training. Differences relating to the expressive order of the school were smaller but still significant and changed during training from favouring secondary pupils to favouring primary pupils. It is suggested that professional training and orientation effect these changes.