Teacher-pupil Relationship in Traditional and Progressive Classrooms

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine, empirically, whether, as claimed by its adherents, the Progressive Classroom is superior to the Traditional Classroom in terms of Teacher-Pupil interaction and the use of social communication techniques. The study, carried out among 240 sixth-grade pupils from eight different schools, compared paired groups of four Traditional Classrooms and four Progressive Classrooms, on the eleven variables of Flanders' Interaction Analysis Categories (FIAC) in four subjects - Geography, English, Nature Study and History. Statistical comparisons of the data using the Wilcoxon Matched-Pairs Signed-Ranks Test indicated that the Progressive Classroom was superior to the Traditional Classroom in a total of eight variables while the remaining three variables showed no significant difference between the two types of classrooms. The results are in the same direction as those of the few empirical tests which have been done in this area previously. They are discussed not only in terms of their relevance to the objective of devising methods of effective communication in Kenyan classrooms but also as a tool for national development by engendering creativity among pupils.