A critical analysis of in-class relationships between teachers and students of Maltese secondary state schools with a sociological perspective

Abstract

In a school setting, teachers and students interact with each other on a daily basis. These frequent interactions can lead to build genuine relationships. This study explores the in-class relationships between teachers and their students of Maltese secondary state schools, with a sociological perspective in mind. Two research questions are examined in this study. Investigating the characteristics of the in-class relationships between teachers and students in Maltese secondary state schools is the primary research question of this study. The second research question of this study is examining what may be done to strengthen the Maltese student-teacher relationships to promote a more positive learning environment. This study will take a quantitative approach, as a 15-question questionnaire was handed out to 265 year 10 students from 2 different Maltese secondary state schools, allowing the researcher to analyse what type of relationship the students feel with their teachers. The findings of this research reveal that most of the participants have experienced positive relationships with their teachers. The outcomes of this dissertation should help aspiring and future teachers to build positive relationships with their students and hence, have a more positive learning environment.