Children's Evaluations of the Characteristics of the Good Teacher

S ummary . Over 800 children from primary and secondary schools ranked items descriptive of a ‘good’ teacher in four scales. The items of each scale were representative of statements made by children in short essays about ‘A Good Teacher.’ The four scales were so organised as to sample three hypothesized areas of the good teacher's class‐room behaviour: discipline, teaching and personal qualities; and to bring together in the fourth scale these three areas for comparative evaluation. A sample of teachers and training college students also completed the comparative scale. Together with the scales a check‐list of twenty pairs of items was administered to the children. Children from junior schools also completed a scale concerned with the ‘good’ teacher's class‐room organisation. Differences were found between children at different stages of education, between children and teachers, between teachers and students, and within teachers, between graduate and non‐graduate teachers. The reasons for these differences are discussed.