Classroom management styles and teacher-student relationship congruency: Its influence on student learning outcomes

ISSN: 1859-2171 TNU Journal of Science and Technology 199(06): 11 - 16 
 Email: jst@tnu.edu.vn 11 
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT STYLES AND TEACHER - STUDENT 
RELATIONSHIP CONGRUENCY: ITS INFLUENCE ON 
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 
Bui Thi Kieu Giang
*
, Tran Thi Thuy Nga 
TNU University of Agriculture and Forestry 
ABSTRACT 
This study investigated the congruency of the classroom management styles and teacher-student 
relationship as well as its influence on student learning outcomes. The classroom management 
styles are categorized as authoritarian, autocratic, democratic and laissez faire. The study 
employed the quantitative aspect which was the determination of the profile, classroom 
management styles, teacher-student relationship and the learning outcomes. The respondents were 
the teachers and students at Thai Nguyen University during the school year 2018-2019. A total of 
1,703 students and 92 teachers were chosen through a convenience sampling method. The findings 
imply that teachers place limits and controls on the students but simultaneously encourage 
independence. There is a significant relationship between teacher-student relationships with the 
classroom management, which influences the way teachers manage their classrooms. Moreover, 
the congruency of the relationship implies that the more favorable the teacher-student relationship 
is, the higher the extent of learning is. In short, students are able to learn more when they 
experience healthy teacher-student relationship. 
Keywords: Autocratic management style; authoritarian management style; democratic 
management style; laissez-faire management style. 
Received: 25/02/2019; Revised: 15/3/2019; Approved: 07/5/2019 
CÁCH QUẢN LÝ LỚP HỌC VÀ SỰ HÀI HOÀ MỐI QUAN HỆ GIẢNG VIÊN 
– SINH VIÊN: SỰ TƯƠNG TÁC CỦA MỐI QUAN HỆ ĐÓ ẢNH HƯỞNG 
ĐẾN KẾT QUẢ HỌC TẬP CỦA SINH VIÊN 
 Bùi Thị Kiều Giang*, Trần Thị Thuý Nga 
Trường Đại học Nông Lâm – ĐH Thái Nguyên 
TÓM TẮT 
Nghiên cứu này xem xét sự hài hoà cách quản lý lớp học của giảng viên và mối quan hệ giảng viên 
– sinh viên ảnh hưởng đến kết quả học tập của sinh viên. Cách quản lý lớp học được phân loại 
thành: cách quản lý độc đoán, chuyên quyền, dân chủ và trao quyền tự quyết. Phương pháp định 
lượng được sử dụng trong nghiên cứu nhằm xác định mô tả sơ lược đối tượng nghiên cứu, cách 
quản lý lớp học, mối quan hệ giảng viên – sinh viên và kết quả học tập của sinh viên. Đối tượng 
nghiên cứu là giảng viên và sinh viên tại Đại học Thái Nguyên trong năm học 2018-2019. Tổng số 
1.703 sinh viên và 92 giảng viên được lựa chọn thông qua phương pháp chọn mẫu thuận tiện. Kết 
quả nghiên cứu chỉ ra rằng giảng viên xác định giới hạn và kiểm soát đối với sinh viên nhưng đồng 
thời khuyến khích sự tự do của sinh viên. Nghiên cứu cũng chỉ ra rằng có sự liên hệ giữa mối quan 
hệ giảng viên – sinh viên với cách quản lý lớp học, điều này ảnh hưởng đến cách giảng viên tổ 
chức hoạt động giảng dạy trên lớp. Ngoài ra, sự hài hoà của mối quan hệ giảng viên – sinh viên 
hàm ý rằng mối quan hệ đó càng hài hoà bao nhiêu thì kết quả học tập của sinh viên càng tốt bấy 
nhiêu. Nói tóm lại sinh viên có thể học được nhiều hơn khi mối quan hệ giữa giảng viên và sinh 
viên có sự đồng thuận. 
Từ khoá: Cách quản lý độc đoán; cách quản lý chuyên quyền; cách quản lý dân chủ; cách quản lý 
trao quyền tự quyết 
Ngày nhận bài: 25/02/2019; Ngày hoàn thiện: 15/3/2019; Ngày duyệt đăng: 07/5/2019 
* Corresponding author. Email: buithikieugiang@tuaf.edu.vn 
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34238/tnu-jst.2019.06.333 
Bui Thi Kieu Giang et al TNU Journal of Science and Technology 199(06): 11 - 16 
 Email: jst@tnu.edu.vn 12 
1. Introduction 
Teaching is a very complex activity that is 
affected by the subject matter, the time 
available, the character of the teacher, the 
disposition of the learners, resources, etc. 
While all of these factors play a pivotal role 
in ensuring a successful teaching, it is an 
accepted fact that the interpersonal 
relationship between teachers and students 
has a significant role to play in the teaching 
and learning process. A pleasant classroom 
environment from an interpersonal 
perspective on teaching undeniably creates 
and maintains a positive, warm classroom 
atmosphere conducive to learning [1]. This is 
because the teachers as well as the students 
need to feel comfortable in their classrooms 
to make teaching and learning interesting, fun 
and meaningful. 
Educators create the culture of success in 
schools through the effective implementation 
of classroom management and discipline. In 
fact, teachers play a key role in classroom 
management to create a proactive learning 
environment. According to Norris (2003) [2], 
classroom management refers to creating 
parameters for the social, emotional, physical, 
and intellectual environments, which allows 
for optimized teaching and learning to occur. 
There are essential approaches to develop 
interpersonal relationships between the 
teachers and the students. Different teachers 
advocate different levels of control over their 
students. Some teachers prefer a disciplined 
environment for learning, whereas others 
want to create a pleasant classroom 
atmosphere where students feel safe to take 
risks and be creative. 
One of the basic tenets of classroom 
management is that the kind of classroom 
management styles (CMSs), educators 
employ inside the class, fundamentally 
influences their relationship or interactions 
with the students. This happens as the 
different CMSs foster positive and negative 
interactions between the teachers and 
students. Some teachers typically interact 
with students in negative ways: criticizing a 
student's poor posture, pointing out mistakes, 
making sarcastic remarks about inappropriate 
social behavior, frowning to show 
disapproval, among others. Often, these 
teachers consider it their job to point out 
where the students have gone wrong. “You 
learn from your mistakes” seems to be their 
mantra. Other teachers typically interact with 
students in positive ways: complimenting a 
student's good posture, pointing out 
successes, making flattering remarks about 
appropriate social behavior, smiling to show 
approval, to name a few. These teachers take 
the view that “Success is the best teacher.” 
According to Latham (2002) [3], CMSs 
consistently correlate with differences in 
student behavior. His research reveals that in 
classrooms where students are on task 
attending, following instructions, and 
participating appropriately, the ratio of 
positive to negative interactions between 
teachers and students was eight to one. These 
teachers are saying pleasant, positive, 
encouraging things to their students or they 
are smiling, touching, and gesturing in 
pleasant ways eight times for every one time 
that they criticized, frowned, or the like. 
Some of the researches on CMSs have also 
found out that teachers feel more in control 
and more competent when they have a formal 
plan for discipline and procedures [4]. Thus, 
when teachers can focus less on discipline 
they can shift their attention to refining a 
methodology that bolsters higher 
achievement. According to Jerry (1982) [5], 
there are some basic approaches to CMSs 
namely: authoritarian, autocratic, democratic 
and permissive or laissez faire. The 
democratic management style provides an 
aura of freedom in the classroom where 
students are at liberty to express their feelings 
and need but the final decision rests on the 
Bui Thi Kieu Giang et al TNU Journal of Science and Technology 199(06): 11 - 16 
 Email: jst@tnu.edu.vn 13 
teacher. In contrast, the autocratic style 
suggests a coercive and dictatorial style of 
classroom management. Teachers using this 
style rely on their own experience, knowledge 
and understanding ignoring the opinion of the 
learner. The laissez-faire style, on the other 
hand, represents total freedom with no input 
whatsoever from the teacher. 
The main aim of this investigation is to 
determine the influence of the congruency of 
CMSs of the teachers and teacher-student 
relationship toward student learning 
outcomes. It is hoped that this study will 
provide insight into the area of CMSs and 
discipline and that this will serve as a 
valuable tool in understanding the CMSs and 
interpersonal relationships between teachers 
and students to get the best student learning 
outcomes. The study tests two hypothesis, 
that is, if there is no significant relationship 
between the CMSs, teacher-student 
relationship and extent of learning outcomes; 
if there is a significant relationship between 
CMSs of the teachers and their profile 
variables when grouped according to their 
profile variables. The study was limited to 
Thai Nguyen University (TNU) during the 
school year 2018-2019. 
2. Methodology 
The study is based on quantitative method. 
The quantitative aspect was the determination 
of the profile, CMSs, teacher-student 
relationship and the learning outcomes. Along 
with this concern, descriptive correlational 
research was employed as it tested if there is 
no significant relationship between CMSs, 
student teacher relationship and extent of 
learning outcomes. The respondents were the 
teachers and students at Thai Nguyen 
University. A total of 1,703 students and 92 
teachers were chosen through a convenience 
sampling method [6]. The quantitative data 
was analyzed using descriptive statistics. 
Specifically, frequency count, percentage and 
mean were used to analyze the profile of the 
teacher respondents, their classroom 
management style, the teacher-student 
relationship and the learning outcomes. 
Furthermore, Pearson Product Moment 
Correlation was used to test the hypotheses of 
the study. 
3. Results and discussion 
When asked about the profile of the teachers, 
the results showed that majority of the 
respondents are female with 65 or 70.7% and 
only 27 or 29.3% are male respondents. It can 
be inferred that men are not interested in 
becoming teachers. As regards age, 18 or 
19.6% are aged 36-40; and 17 or 18.5% have 
ages ranging from 26-30 and 31-35. 
Moreover, 12 or 13.0% are in the age range of 
20-25 and 11 or 12% are aged 46-50; 9 or 
9.8% are aged 41-45; 8 or 8.7% are 51& 
above. The mean age of the respondents is 35, 
which is considered quite young in 
comparison with the age of retirement. With 
respect to educational attainment, most of the 
respondents have obtained master‟s degrees 
with 45 or 48.9%, then following doctoral 
degrees with 29 or 31.5%, and 18 or 19% are 
with bachelor‟s degrees. In general, the 
university policies and incentives are 
mobilized to standardize the lecturers‟ 
standards in all universities. As regarding 
number of years in the service, majority of the 
respondents are young in the service, namely 
16 or 17.4% have served from 6-10 years. 16 
or 17.4 % have taught for 1-5 and 11-15 
years. Moreover, 10 or 10.9% have been in 
the service for 21-25 years, 9 or 9.8% have 
taught for 16-20 years and 7 or 7.6% have 
worked from 26 years and more. It can be 
inferred that the teaching staff are qualified 
and experienced enough to implement any 
instructional methodologies on their teaching 
careers. In terms of universities participation, 
most or 28 or 30.4% are from Thai Nguyen 
University of Agriculture and Forestry, 17 or 
18.5% are from Thai Nguyen University of 
Education, 15 or 16.3% come from Thai 
Bui Thi Kieu Giang et al TNU Journal of Science and Technology 199(06): 11 - 16 
 Email: jst@tnu.edu.vn 14 
Nguyen University of Medicine and 
Pharmacy and 11 or 12% are from Thai 
Nguyen University of Sciences. The least 
number of teachers are with Thai Nguyen 
University of Economics and Business 
Administration (6 or 6.5%) and Thai Nguyen 
University of Communication & Information 
Technology (4 or 4.3%). Thus, seven 
universities were involved in this study, 
which ensures the equality and liability of the 
findings. Unfortunately, there was bias in the 
provision of the participants, which might not 
reflect thorough viewpoints. 
Table 1 presents the frequency and percentage 
distribution of the CMSs of the teachers as 
perceived by the students and teachers 
themselves. It can be gleaned from the table 
that 700 or 39% are utilizing authoritarian 
style, 364 or 20.28% are users of eclectic 
style, 336 or 18.72% have democratic style, 
268 or 14.93% are utilizing autocratic style 
and 127 or 7.08% are using laissez faire. The 
highest use of authoritarian style by the 
teachers indicates they have high expectations 
of appropriate behavior, they have clear 
statements about why certain behaviors are 
acceptable and others are not acceptable, and 
they have warm student-teacher relationships. 
The finding also implies that TNU teachers 
place limits and controls on the students but 
simultaneously encourage independence. The 
authoritarian style relates well with the 
assertion of [7] whose belief suggests that 
students will support rules they establish as 
they have a sense of ownership on them. For 
an effective teacher, authoritative style can 
produce socially competent and responsible 
students. Whereas, low frequency on the use 
of laissez faire by the teachers suggests that 
both the teachers and students believe that 
this classroom management style is not 
adopted by the teachers. The teachers do not 
just accept the students‟ impulses and actions 
because they are more likely to monitor their 
behavior. They do not find difficulty saying 
no or enforcing rules in the classroom. When 
a student interrupts a lecture, the teacher 
accepts the interruption with the belief that 
the student must surely have something 
valuable to add. 
Table 1. Frequency and percentage distribution of CMSs of teachers as perceived by the students and 
teachers themselves 
Classroom Management Style 
Teachers Students and Teachers Total 
Freq. % Freq. % Freq. % 
Authoritarian 52 56.40 648 38.05 700 39.00 
Autocratic 1 0.01 267 15.68 268 14.93 
Democratic 15 16.85 321 18.85 336 18.72 
Laissez-Faire 3 3.50 124 7.28 127 7.08 
Eclectic 21 23.30 343 20.14 364 20.28 
Total 92 100 1,703 100 1795 100 
Table 2. Comparison between the assessments of the teachers and students on the teachers’ CMSs 
Group Mean SD Std. Error of Difference t-value Probability 
Teachers 35.38 5.493 
0.582 4.104** 0.000 
Students 37.77 4.230 
** = significant at .01 level 
It was hypothesized that there is no significant difference in the assessment of the teachers and 
students the teachers‟ classroom management style. Table 2 showing the comparison between the 
assessment of the teachers and students on the teachers‟ classroom management style reveals that 
there is a significant difference in the assessment of both respondents at 0.01 level of 
significance. The t-value for this comparison is 4.104 with a probability of 0.000 and with a 
Bui Thi Kieu Giang et al TNU Journal of Science and Technology 199(06): 11 - 16 
 Email: jst@tnu.edu.vn 15 
standard error of difference at 0.582. This finding reveals that the hypothesis is rejected as there 
is a significant difference in the assessment of the teachers and students on the teachers‟ 
classroom management style. The students have more favorable rating to their teachers than the 
rating of the teachers to themselves as reflected in the mean of 37.77 for the students and 35.38 
for the teachers. The finding indicates the belief of the teachers that CMSs are just suggestive in 
nature, which is recommendatory to teachers based on the kind of learning environments that 
they are into. 
Table 3. Interrelationship among CMSs of the teachers, teacher-student relationship congruency 
and extent of learning 
Variables 
Classroom 
Management Style 
Teacher - Student 
Relationship 
Congruency 
Extent of 
Learning 
Classroom Management Style - 
Teacher-Student Relationship 
0.252
* 
(0.015) 
- 
Extent of Learning Outcomes 
0.349** 
(0.001) 
0.342** 
(0.001) 
- 
** = significant at 0.01 level 
* = significant at 0.05 level 
It was hypothesized in the study that there is a significant relationship between CMSs of the 
teachers, teacher - student relationship and extent of learning outcomes. Table 3 reveals that the 
hypothesis is rejected at .05 level of significance. The significant relationship between teacher - 
student relationship with CMSs is reflected in the correlation coefficient of 0.252 and probability 
value of 0.015. On the other hand, the significant relationship between extent of learning and 
classroom management is seen in the computed correlation coefficient of 0.349 and probability 
value of 0.001 while the relationship between extent of learning with teacher - student 
relationship congruency is indicated in the correlation coefficient of 0.342 and 0.001 probability 
value. The significant relationship between teacher - student relationship with the classroom 
management means that healthy and sound teacher-student relationship influences to a great 
extent how teachers establish and enforce routines and rules inside the classroom and how they 
plan and prepare the instructional materials. Besides, the significant relationship between the 
extent of learning with teacher - student relationship indicates that the better the teacher-student 
relationship is, the higher the extent of learning is. In short, students are able to learn more when 
they experience healthy teacher student relationship. 
Table 4. Relationship between the CMSs of the teachers and their select profile variables 
Variable Correlation Coefficient Probability Statistical Inference 
Sex 0.114 0.277 Not significant 
Age 0.062 0.518 Not significant 
Educational Attainment 0.257 0.013 Significant at 0.05 
Number of years in the service 0.119 0.257 Not significant 
Universities -0.059 0.577 Not significant 
It was hypothesized in the study that there is 
no significant relationship between the CMSs 
of the teachers and their profile variables. 
Table 4 reveals that educational attainment 
has significant relationship with CMSs but 
not for sex, age, number of years in the 
service and universities. Thus, the null 
hypothesis is accepted only for the 
educational attainment variable. It is 
suggested that the use of CMSs is influenced 
by the level of educational attainment of the 
teachers. The higher educational attainment 
Bui Thi Kieu Giang et al TNU Journal of Science and Technology 199(06): 11 - 16 
 Email: jst@tnu.edu.vn 16 
provides more theories, principles and 
insights about teaching and learning. The 
positive relationship between the classroom 
management style of the teachers and their 
educational attainment is supported by earlier 
researches [8], [9]; their findings reveal that 
having successful classroom management 
skills are thought to be necessary in fostering 
effective student learning. Teachers who are 
weak at classroom management skills should 
be provided with necessary theoretical 
approaches and classroom disciplines as well 
as useful tips on implementation. 
4. Conclusions 
On the basis of the foregoing findings, the 
study concludes that TNU teachers are indeed 
second parents to their students considering 
that they serve as „loco parentis‟ to their 
students. There is substantial imposition of 
rules but there is also promotion of 
independence. Interestingly, there is also a 
healthy connection between the teachers and 
students inside the classroom which is 
manifested in the low teacher anxiety. 
Teachers and students cultivate their 
relationships and use this healthy relationship 
to ensure a “nurturing pedagogy”. Moreover, 
the study concludes that there exists a 
congruency between classroom management 
style and teacher - student relationship as well 
as student learning outcomes. The extent of 
learning obtained by the students is to a great 
extent determined by the kind of CMSs 
utilized by the teachers. Of all CMSs, it is the 
authoritarian style that plays a crucial role in 
determining higher learning. Finally, the study 
proves that the teacher student relationship 
positively influences CMSs of the teachers. It 
also asserts that the teacher - student 
relationship is positively associated by the 
degree of learning that takes place inside the 
classroom; with classroom management style 
as well as teacher - student relationship. 
REFERENCES 
[1]. Williams, M. and Burden, R., Psychology for 
Language Teachers: A Social Constructivist 
Approach. Cambridge University Press, 
Cambridge, 1997. 
[2]. Norris J. A., Looking at Classroom Management 
Through a Social and Emotional Learning Lens. 
Classroom Management in a Diverse Society. 
Vol. 42, Iss. 4, pp. 313-318, 2003. 
https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4204_8 
[3]. Latham, G. I., Behind the schoolhouse door: 
Eight skills every teacher should have. In G.I. 
Latham, Behind the schoolhouse door: 
Managing chaos with science, skills, and 
strategy (pp. 11-41). North Logan, UT: P & T 
Ink. 2002. 
[4]. Charles C. M., Today's best classroom 
management strategies: paths to positive 
discipline. Boston: Pearson/Allyn Bacon, 2008. 
[5]. Jerry D. L., Three Approaches to Classroom 
Management: Views from a Psychological 
Perspective. The Educational Forum. Vol 48, 
Iss. 1. pp. 124-125, 1982. 
https://doi.org/10.1080/00131728309335886 
[6]. Given L. M., Convenience Sample. The 
SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research 
Methods. SAGE Publications, 2008. 
https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412963909.n68 
[7]. Dunbar, C. Jr., Classroom Management 
(Monograph). East Lansing, MI. Michigan 
State University Outreach, 2004. 
[8]. Emmer, E., & Aussiker, A., School and 
classroom discipline pro- grams: How well do 
they work? In O. C. Moles (Ed.), Student 
discipline strategies: Research and practice 
(pp. 129–166). Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 
1990. 
[9]. Jones, F., & Jones, L.S., Comprehensive 
Classroom management. Boston: Allyn & 
Bacon, 2001.