Teachers should channel Miss Honey rather than Miss Trunchbull if they want to ... trends now
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Teachers should channel Miss Honey rather than Miss Trunchbull if they want to control a classroom, research suggests.
A study has found strict-sounding teachers are worse at inspiring their pupils compared to their colleagues who use a kinder tone.
Children are less likely to cooperate with or confide in a teacher who speaks harshly or in a controlling manner, researchers say.
And their findings should be used to influence teacher training and elevate the importance of voice in a classroom setting, they argue.
Teachers should channel Miss Honey rather than Miss Trunchbull if they want to control a classroom, research suggests. Pictured: Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey in Matilda the Musical
Researchers from the University of Essex and the University of Reading recruited 250 children aged 10 to 16 for their study.
They were played pre-recorded teachers' voices and asked to judge how the tone affected them, by rating factors such as emotion, trust and their intention to cooperate.
Results revealed children reacted much better to supportive voices, while controlling tones made their self-esteem plummet and made them feel as if their teacher was less trustworthy.
The findings, published in the British Journal of Educational Psychology, revealed youngsters faced with a strict teachers were also more likely to rebel but less likely to tell their teacher if they
