| Abstract [eng] |
Background Students attending the same class can vary greatly in their perceptions of the teaching quality of the same lessons with the same teacher; however, the current understanding of heterogeneity in students’ perceptions of teaching quality, its sources, and implications remains limited. Aims This study investigated whether heterogeneity in students' perceptions of teaching quality within classes may indicate that the teacher's instruction is not equally adaptive for all students. Sample We used longitudinal data from the TALIS Global Teaching InSights study (N = 19,659 students, N = 679 mathematics teachers, across eight countries). Methods We ran multigroup latent change score models to examine the effect of student-reported adaptive teaching on (a) teaching quality ratings (clarity of instruction, autonomy support, student-teacher relationships, cognitive engagement, support for learning, support for competence, and classroom disruptions) and, importantly, (b) heterogeneity in students’ perceptions of these dimensions. Results Our findings revealed that adaptive teaching predicted lower heterogeneity in students’ perceptions—particularly regarding autonomy support, clarity of instruction, and, to some extent, support for learning, support for competence, and student–teacher relationships. Adaptive teaching was related to less classroom disruptions and more heterogeneous perceptions of disruptions within classes. Conclusions Our findings indicate that adaptive teaching can explain the extent of heterogeneity in students’ perceptions of several teaching quality dimensions. This underscores the substantive value of considering heterogeneity in student perceptions as a meaningful construct. |
