AD ALTA
JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
THE IMPACT OF THE PEDAGOGICAL AND PERSONAL HISTORY OF THE TEACHER ON ITS
CURRENT TEACHING STYLE
a
MONIKA MÁČAJOVÁ,
b
ZUZANA ZAJACOVÁ,
c
ADELA
MELIŠEKOVÁ DOJČANOVÁ
Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Faculty of
Education, Department of Pedagogy, Dražovská cesta 4, 949 74
Nitra, Slovakia
email:
a
mmacajova@ukf.sk,
b
zuzana.zajacova@ukf.sk,
c
adela.melisekova.dojcanova@ukf.sk
The paper is an output from the research project VEGA no. 1/0637/16 titled
Development of a Diagnostic Tool to Assess the Level of Phonemic Awareness of
Children in Preschool Age.
Abstract: The teaching style is a distinctive process by which the teacher teaches. It
includes specific ways of managing pupils' learning activities, choosing teaching
methods, principles, organizational forms, prioritizing and utilising certain didactic
resources. This is reflected in the methodological process of the teacher, in the way of
managing and organizing work on the lesson as well as in the teacher's interaction with
the pupils. However, many determinants are entering the teaching process, affecting
the teacher's style in a significant or less significant way. The paper presents and
analyses previous knowledge and experience of teachers in the context of teaching
style. It brings empirical findings on the impact of selected factors related to teachers'
pedagogical and personal history and their impact on the current teaching style.
Keywords: teacher, teaching style, pedagogical and personal history of the teacher
1 Introduction
Recently, teaching profession has become a frequently discussed
topic, especially as a result of constantly increasing demands for
its performance. A greater emphasis has been paid not only to
the acquisition of key knowledge and skills, but, above all, to
having teachers manage many demanding situations brought
about by real educational practice. Teachers are becoming much
more important factor in the teaching process, though the profile
and status of the profession have been experiencing a decreasing
tendency. Many of the requirements for teaching profession have
impact on teachers´ teaching styles. Since teaching is a dynamic
process, there are many factors entering it and influencing the
style of teaching. This means that the selection and consequent
application of individual didactic procedures may be influenced
by various factors. This fact becomes particularly significant as
regards primary education which has an important role in the life
of every child. Teaching style, as a unique way of applying
pedagogical knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes of teachers
in pedagogical interaction aimed at learners´ personal
development, is a key component of the teaching profession.
Because of that teaching style should not be understood as just
some procedures that could be judged according to what
educational aims are set by teachers, what methods and
organisational forms are used, or how the role of teachers and
learners is perceived. It is a higher construct having a direct
impact both on the process of learning as well as on learners´
personal development. Thus, the need to analyse teachers´
teaching styles, as well as the factors which influence them, is
becoming more significant and up to date. Seen from this point
of view, the paper discusses the influence of pedagogical and
personal history of primary school teachers on their current
teaching styles.
2 Definition of teaching style and its determinants
Nowadays, there has been much discussion on what teaching
procedures are effective and have positive impact not only on the
process of learning, but also on learners´ personal development.
A teaching style, as a key component of teaching profession
significantly influencing the quality of its performance, is
coming to the forefront of attention.
The concept of teaching styles has been well discussed abroad,
especially by such authors as N. A. Flanders (1970), L. A. Walla
(1988), A. F. Grasha (1996), C. A. Evans (2003), J. Maňák
and V. Švec (2003), R. Kohoutek (2006), D. Wall (2007), C. A.
Evans, M. J. Harkins and Y. D. Yong (2008), G. D.
Fenstermacher and J. F. Soltis (2008), J. Škoda and P. Doulík
(2011), J. Mareš (2013), and many others. However, in Slovak
literature not so much attention has been paid to this problem
(Rovňanová, L., 2015; Fenyvesiová, L., 2006, 2013;
Nikodemová, V., Fenyvesiová, L., 2016; Zaťková, T., 2008,
2010; Malá, D., 2013; Komárik, E., 2013; Turek, I., 2014).
Many of the above authors describe and define the variability of
teaching styles one can come across during one´s teaching. In
addition to their definitions and classifications, the authors
provide possibilities of their diagnosticating and, last but not
least, put them into analogy with students´ learning styles. There
have been several researches aimed at the analysis of
compatibility, or incompatibility of teaching and learning styles
and its consequences for the process of pupils´ learning (e.g.
Walla, L. A., 1988; Gilakjani, A. P., 2012).
Teaching style has been defined by several authors, emphasising
not only identical, but, in many cases, relatively different
characteristics. It may be understood from the following two
aspects:
From a wider aspect, teaching style is characterised as a way of
teaching. It is thus ,,an individually specific way of teaching,
which is preferred by a teacher in a certain period and certain
context“. It is manifested by concrete strategies and ways of
managing the pupils´ learning activities, selection of teaching
methods, procedures and organisational forms, preference of
certain types of didactic means as well as choice of basic
communication schemes in teaching (Škoda, J., Doulík, P., 2011,
p. 68).
As far as the narrower aspect is concerned, teaching style is
defined by J. Maňák and V. Švec (2003, p. 37) as “a set of
teaching methods applied by a teacher”.
The given definitions allow one to state that teaching style is
represented by a way of the teacher´s management of
educational activity. Teaching style as certain procedures
influenced by several aspects is described by J. Mareš (2013, p.
467). According to him, teaching styles may be understood as
“procedures typical for a given teacher, preferred by him/her
during a certain period and used in education to manage the
pupils´ learning or work in the classroom. These procedures are
influenced by the specificities of teacher´s personality, his/her
preparation for the profession and further education,
pedagogical experience, and, above all, approach to teaching”.
A more detailed analysis of the concept of teaching style may be
found in the definition of K. Starý (2007) who sees teaching
style as something drawing on the teacher´s understanding of
teaching, and, consequently, manifested in the projection of
concrete lessons, i.e. directly in the teaching, not only in the
teacher´s implicit thinking, but in his/her teaching procedures. It
could seem that so defined teaching style is, in its essence,
indescribable and imaginative, outwardly manifested by teaching
procedures. V. Švec (1998) claims that the teacher´s perception
of teaching makes up one of the layers of teaching style.
Therefore, in teaching style it is possible to distinguish several
mutually interconnected layers, including:
Cognitive style, representing the deepest layer, is to a
certain extent inborn, i.e. also difficult to influence.
Teacher´s approach to teaching, or teacher´s everyday
philosophy, related to the way of selecting a teaching
material, choice of teaching methods, communication with
pupils, etc. It is a layer which is difficult to influence, for
example by the teacher´s self-education, or his/her further
education.
Ways of dealing with pedagogical situations, or teaching
strategies, which are, to certain extent, influenced by
teachers´ education, pedagogical experience and, above all,
by the processing of this experience. It needs to be
- 167 -