Improving teacher-student classroom interactions: what role do social and cultural backgrounds of teachers and students play?

ABSTRACT

While quality teacher-student classroom interaction is crucial in promoting students’ learning, literature recognizes the meaningful effects teachers’ and students’ social background characteristics and cultural values or orientations have on classroom interactions. However, the extent of relationships between elements of the social and cultural contexts of teachers and students on teacher-student classroom interactions seem under-researched and may require more efforts from researchers, especially in the context of Africa. This empirical study sought to explore these elements and how they relate with teachers’ and students’ perceived classroom interactions in basic schools in southern Ghana after controlling for their demographic characteristics. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 175 teachers and 501 basic school students and was analysed using exploratory factor analysis, correlation, and hierarchical regression analyses. The results showed that social context and culturally responsive teaching practices correlate positively with teacher-student classroom interactions. Also, variance in classroom interactions was attributed to both social and culturally responsive teaching practices of teachers, with the latter having a greater effect on teacher-student classroom interactions. Implications of these findings for policy and practice are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Teacher-student classroom interactions
• social context
• culturally responsive teaching practices
• teachers
• students
• Ghana

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christopher Yaw Kwaah

Christopher Yaw Kwaah is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Education, University of Cape Coast in Ghana. He is also the Research Coordinator at the Institute of Education, University of Cape Coast where he leads several local and international research projects. His research interests are teacher education, teacher professional development, and ICT in education.

Douglas Darko Agyei

Douglas Darko Agyei is a Professor of Mathematics Education in the Department of Mathematics and ICT Education at the University of Cape Coast. His research interests include Mathematics Education, and Educational Technology. Currently, he facilitates postgraduate courses and mentors several postgraduate students.

Esinam Ami Avornyo

Esinam Ami Avoryo is a research fellow at the Institute of Education, University of Cape Coast, Ghana. Her research interest is concerned with children and how to improve the quality of education systems to support their development and learning. Her recent studies have focused on how different school and home-based intervention strategies can enhance quality learning opportunities for children.