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It is recognized in this study that teacher''s personality affects the quality of the teacher- student interactions and potentially has the power to determine the realization of positive relationships in the classroom. It is important for teacher - educators responsible for curriculum development in the teachers'' training colleges to understand that teacher-trainees'' perceptions and interpretations of their roles in the classroom influence their attitude and behaviors in the teaching - learning process. In recognition of the aforementioned ideas this present study examined two Locus of control instruments: The Locus of Teachers Control instrument which could be utilized in the Caribbean education system to assess teachers perceptions about who or what influences important outcomes in the teaching-learning process, and Nowicki-Strickland adult instrument for determining an individual''s perceptions about who or what influences important outcomes in their lives. This study sheds some light on the appropriateness of the two instruments and provides a platform for informing professional development of teachers within the Jamaican context.
About the author
Loraine D. Cook is a lecturer in Educational Psychology and Research Methods at the University of the West Indies. She is the recipient of the Dean's Award for Excellence (2007); most outstanding PhD thesis award for 2006/2007, and part of a team which received a Principal's Research Award (2009).
