PRIMARY AND SECONDARY-SCHOOL TEACHERS PERCEPTIONS AND ACTIONS REGARDING THEIR PUPILS EMOTIONAL LIVES

To investigate teachers' perceptions and actions regarding the psychol ogical and counselling needs of their pupils, we collected data from 2 58 teachers in primary and secondary schools. The teachers' reports re vealed significant differences between teachers in the two educational settings, in almost all the issues investigated. Secondary school pup ils were described as more troubled by various issues and more in need of individual counselling in school than their primary school counter parts. Secondary school teachers are approached mainly with issues ass ociated with school lives, whereas primary school pupils request more help on personal and family matters. Secondary school teachers report having less time, perceiving their involvement with their pupils' emot ional life as less central to their task, and believing that their own attitudes and characteristics influence their relations with their pu pils. Primary school teachers, presumably being part of a school organ izational culture that legitimizes greater involvement with pupils, nu rture their relationships with their pupils and make it easier for pup ils to approach them, making greater use of classroom activities and s pecific methods intended for this purpose. While some of these finding s could he explained in terms of the developmental differences between primary and secondary school pupils, it is suggested that the differe ntial impact of the environment in the two types of schools affects te achers' roles and intentions in dealing with their pupils' emotional l ives and needs.