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JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH

Tab. 2: Relation between the applied teaching styles and the
factors influencing them

Variables

Formal authority

0.131

0.141

0.008

0.005

404

1. Style of upbringing in the family (in which I was brought up and educated).

6. The knowledge I have in individual subjects.

Variables

Personal model

0.109

0.028

404

6. The knowledge I have in individual subjects.

Variables

Facilitator

0.110

0.109

0.027

0.029

404

5. The success I experienced as a pupil/student, or learner.

6. The knowledge I have in individual subjects.

Variables

Delegator

0.154

0.105

0.002

0.035

404

6. The knowledge I have in individual subjects.

7. The history of participation in further education and self-study as forms of self-
education.

Key: N – number; r – Pearson coefficient, p –statistical significance level.

Table 2 presents the results which indicate a relation between the
applied teaching styles of primary school teachers and the factors
which influence them. Using the Pearson coefficient, it was
found out that between the variables there is a statistically
significant relation at the level of 0.01, and statistically
significant relation at the level of 0.05, but the relation is not
evident between all analysed variables. In view of the length of
the data, Table 1 shows the variables between which this relation
is evident.

The proved results indicate that a statistically significant relation
is evident for the variables Formal authority, Personal model,
Facilitator and Delegator, and certain factors determining them.
This relation was not recorded, however, with regard to the
Expert teaching style. It means that the application of this style is
not determined by the factors associated with teachers´
pedagogical and personal history. It is assumed that the Expert
teaching style may be influenced by factors of different kind.

The indicated results also allow one to notice that the common
factor influencing the styles Formal authority, Personal model,
Facilitator, and Delegator is the knowledge teachers have in
individual subjects. Given the fact that teachers at primary level
teach subjects of different nature, it is desirable that they have
enough and adequate knowledge from all the taught subjects. It
may be said that knowledge, and consequently also experience,
make up one of the layers of teaching style, the one which is
considered most influenceable. This fact brings a very interesting
result. Nowadays teachers use various forms of further education
and self-study. One may claim, to a certain extent, that the
acquired knowledge then influences the selection of didactic
procedures by the teacher, i. e. his/her teaching style. One can
assume that it is based on further education that teachers vary, or
change, their teaching styles, while teachers who do not show
any interest in self-education apply routine and well-established
teaching procedures.

Similarly interesting is the finding that teaching styles Formal
authority, Personal model, Facilitator and Delegator are
influenced by the knowledge in individual subjects, though the
teaching style characteristic by its presentation of detailed
knowledge and invitation of pupils to increase their abilities and
competencies is the Expert teaching style.

As for the teaching styles Formal authority, Facilitator and
Delegator and factors influencing them, certain differences could
be identified as well. While the Formal authority teaching style
is influenced by the style of family upbringing, the Facilitator is

influenced by the success teachers experienced while they were
learners. What is interesting about the Facilitator teaching style
is that teachers lead pupils to responsibility to take over the
initiative to reach the results in various roles, and independent,
active and collaborating pupils move forward in such
environment. Thus, the results indicate that the Facilitator style
teachers try to lead pupils to reach success in learning
themselves. This analogy means that teachers want to achieve
the same success with their students as the success they
experienced when they were learners.

The factors influencing the Delegator teaching style include not
only the knowledge teachers have in individual subjects, which
is a common factor for several other teaching styles, but, at the
same time, participation in further education and self-study.
There is a certain relationship between individual variables. The
application of the Delegator teaching style assumes the
development of pupils´ abilities to act autonomously. It is a
pupil-centred approach. The teacher takes the role of a guide and
often requires pupils to work either independently or in groups in
which they have to work effectively and manage various
interpersonal roles. It may be estimated, from what has been
said, that teachers with the Delegator preferred teaching style
attribute an essential influence on their procedures exactly to the
self-study and further education. It thus means that these
teachers do not only try to act autonomously themselves, but
develop this ability in their learners as well.

5 Conclusion

In recent years, the teaching profession has become a frequently
discussed topic, especially because of constantly increasing
demands and requirements put on it. Contemporary teachers are
no longer only mediators of knowledge to pupils, they are
expected to meet requirements connected with the necessity to
develop the pupils´ personalities as regards their individual
needs and possibilities. Increased demands are becoming the key
in case of pre-primary and primary level of education where
teachers educate children at the age of their most rapid
development. The quality performance of teaching profession is
significantly influenced by teachers´ teaching style, which is a
key component in this process. Our research shows that one may
speak about various factors determining, to certain extent,
teaching style. It follows that contemporary teaching styles of
primary schools teachers are to the greatest extent influenced by
the knowledge in individual subjects, knowledge and skills in a
given field as well as participation in further education and self-
study, with a relatively high figure recorded also for such factor
as the teacher´s preference of the way of his own learning, i.e.
his/her learning style. In comparison with the previous ones, the
learning style is less influenced by the experience acquired in the
position of a beginning teacher. However, the lowest level of
influence on teachers´ teaching styles is exerted by such factors
as style of family upbringing (in which the teacher was brought
up and educated); experience from the teaching of their teachers
(or their teaching style) and the success the teachers experienced
as pupils/students, or as learners. Consequently, research results
showed that there is a statistically significant relation between
teaching styles and factors influencing them, but this relation is
not evident for all the analysed variables. The findings indicate
that the application of the teaching styles Formal authority,
Personal model, Facilitator and Delegator is significantly
influenced by the knowledge teachers have in individual
subjects, while there is no a statistically significant relation
between the selected factors and the Expert teaching style.
Moreover, it was found out that the Formal authority teaching
style is influenced, in addition to the knowledge in individual
subjects, also by a style of family upbringing, the Facilitator
style is influenced by the success teachers experienced when
they were learners, and the Delegator style is influenced by the
history of participation in further education and self-study.
Because there are many factors influencing the style of teacher
education, we feel free to claim that the most important, if not
decisive, role in teaching profession is played by the reflection of
one´s own pedagogical activity, and, consequently, its
determinants as well. Drawing on the above mentioned, we also

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