EFFECTS OF TEACHER-STUDENT MATCHES ON INTERPERSONAL MATURITY LEVELS UPON STUDENT ACADEMIC AND BEHAVIORAL LEARNING

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether students matched with their teachers on the variable of interpersonal maturity level would have greater academic and behavioral achievement progress than their fellow students who were unmatched with their teachers. Fifty-five student subjects from the study were identified as emotionally disturbed and attended a public day school in suburban Washington, D.C. Their fifteen teachers were special education teachers at the same school. The teachers were classified using information from a structured interview according to the Jesness interpersonal maturity level worker classification system. This was the first application of this method of classification to the field of education from the literature of the juvenile justice system. Measures of student academic progress were taken on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills and behavioral measures were the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Scale (IAR), the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory and the Quality of School Life Inventory. Statistical analysis of the data using an analysis of covariance indicated that there was significant difference between the groups with regard to academic achievement, the math concepts subtest of the CTBS showed significant differences between the matched and unmatched students (p (LESSTHEQ) .05); and there were significant differences between the groups with regard to behavioral measures on the IAR (p (LESSTHEQ) .01). Other measures indicated no statistically significant differences. It was recommended that researchers investigate further the interaction effects between students and teachers on academic and behavioral progress. The literature suggests that variations in teacher styles can make a difference in student academic and behavioral learning. The possibility exists that this student-teacher match may be even more important to emotionally disturbed students, particularly at the adolescent age level. Based on the results of this study, it was also recommended that I-Level from the IAR be utilized as a classification variable for planfully matching students to their teachers in order to enhance the remedial program of emotionally disturbed students.