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Administrative pressures and teachers' interpersonal behaviour in the classroom

University of Ottawa, Canada, Luc.Pelletier{at}uOttawa.ca

Elizabeth C. Sharp

University of Ottawa, Canada

The purpose of the present article is to review the contextual conditions that lead teachers to be more controlling rather than autonomy supportive with their students. Research indicates that the more teachers perceive that school administration thwarts their autonomy by imposing pressures on them, the less autonomous they are in their motivation for teaching, the more they become controlling in their teaching, and the more students demonstrate a controlled motivation orientation. At this point an element of reciprocity is introduced: teachers may be affected by the lack of students' motivation and their low performance because this reinforces the administration's perception that something needs to be done. Then teachers may perceive a pressure to behave in a controlling manner to be sure that the administration's standards are achieved.

Key Words: determinants of interpersonal behaviors • self-determination

Theory and Research in Education, Vol. 7, No. 2, 174-183 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1477878509104322


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