Chapter 3: Student Perceptions of Teachers: What Can Students Teach Teachers About Teaching?

A familiar adage asserts, “It’s not what you do, it’s how you do it.” Although surely true, a version for teachers might aptly be rephrased, “It’s not what you do, it’s how what you do is perceived.” Students’ perceptions of the learning environment are a critical factor in developing the behaviors and attitudes that support their wellness and achievement. These perceptions may even be more central to student success than the actual instructional strategies that teachers intend (Bandura, 1986; Urdan, 2004). With that in mind, our purpose in writing this chapter is to highlight key takeaways from the research on student perceptions in classroom settings with a particular focus on how teacher educators can use this research to instruct preservice teachers more effectively (Table 3.1).