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Abstract:
Nine teachers and 80 preschool children participated in a study investigating the effects of teacher attitudes of "attachment", "concern" "indifference" and "rejection" towards preschool children. The teacher behaviours observed, related to instructional, social, and disciplinary contacts. It was found that teacher attitudes toward children do correlate with differential teacher behaviours. Attitudes held toward the involved students could not be differentiated on social contacts but were noticeably different on instructional and disciplinary contacts. Children in the different attitude groups were perceived differently (as shown by a behavioural measure) by their teachers. It was also shown that children may evoke the same or different attitudes from different teachers, leading to a possibility of similar or different patterns of communication. The effects of such patterns of communication may constitute an important factor in the child's educational experience.