[[alternative]]A Study of the Relationship among Teachers' Verbal Behavior, Students' Self-esteem, and Students' Behavioral Adjustment to School

[[abstract]]The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship among students perception of their teacher's verbal behavior, students' self-esteem and students' behavioral adjustment to school. Five hundred and sixty-eight students from 6 public junior high schools in Taipei were sampled in the study. Instruments used in this study were: Teacher Verbal Behavior Scale, The Self-Esteem Scale, Behavior-In-School Inventory(BSI). This study was a survey research. Data obtained in this study were analyzed by two-way MANOVA, Pearson Product-moment correlation and Path analysis. The main findings were as follows: 1.The interaction effects of students' perception of their teachers' verbal behavior between sexes and grades didn't reach the significant level. There were no differences between male and female students' perception of their teacher's verbal behavior; butthere were differences between grades in students' perception of their teachers' verbal behavior. 2.There were no significant differences between students' perception of their teacher's verbal behavior and their self-esteem. 3.Students' perception of their teacher's "Praises or encourage"and "Accepting and using ideas of pupils" had positive correlation with students' studiousness. compliance and teacher contact. Students' perception of their teacher's "Warm and accepting feelings" had positive correlation with students' studiousness, compliance, teacher contact and peer contact. Students' perception of their teacher's "Justifying authority", "Censuring" and "Threat" had negativ correlation with students' studiousness, compliance and teacher contact. Students' perception of their teacher's "Laughing and criticizing" had negative correlation with students' studiousness, compliance, and teacher contact, but had positive correlation with peer contact. Students' perception of their teacher's "Commanding" had negative correlation with teacher contact. 4."Students' studiousness" was influenced by teachers' use of "Justifying authority" through its effect on students' self-concept, or it was directly influenced by teachers' use of "Praises or encourage" and "Threat" "students' compliance was influenced by teachers' use of " Justifying authority" through its effect on students' self-concept, or it was directly influenced by teachers' use of"Threat"and "Commanding". Students' teacher contact was influenced by teachers' use of "Justifying authority" through its effect on students' self-concept,or it was directly influenced by teachers' use of "Justifying authority"."Warm and accepting feelings"and"Threat". Students' peer contact was influenced by teachers' use of "Justifying authority" through its effect on students' self-concept, or it was directly influenced by teachers' use of "Warm and acception feelings"and"Laughing and criticizing". Based on the results, implications of the study for educators and in-service training and suggestions for future research were discussed and offered as follows: 1.Teachers should monitor themselves about their use of verbal behavior while interactiong with different grade students. And they should select suitable verbal behavior coordinated with students' developmental characteritstics. 2.Teachers should use more positive verbal behavior to help students make a good adjustment to school. 3.In order to create a good learning environment, teacher cultivating and in-service training institute should prepare courses related with teacher verbal behavior to help teachers be aware of their use of verbal behavior and to help teacher be cautious of using verbal behavior. 4.Future researches need to investigate the interaction between students' perception and teacher verbal behavior and pay attention to the impacts of nonverbal behavior. On data collection, researcher can use interview, classroom observation and other methods at the same time.