THE RELATIONSHIP OF PERCEIVED TEACHER CARING WITH STUDENT LEARNING AND TEACHER EVALUATION

The research reported relates to the construct of ''perceived caring'' in the instructional context which is believed to be related to the c lassical construct of ''good will'' in Aristotelian rhetorical theory as well as to more contemporary social scientific views of ''intent to ward receiver'' in conceptualizations of source credibility. Student p erceptions of caring on the part of their teachers were found to be su bstantially associated with the students' evaluation of their teachers , their affective learning, and their perceptions of their cognitive l earning. Research is called for which helps to identify the specific t eacher behaviors which communicate caring to students.