A Comparative Study on the Impact of Instructor-Student Relationships, in Private and Government Higher Education Institutions on Students’ Learning: The Cases of St. Mary’s University College & Addis Ababa University, College of Commerce

Abstract

Instructor-student relationship is an important element in the teaching-learning process. An instructor not only teaches but also interacts with his/her students. Nor does a student learn as though he/she were receiving his/her information from a teaching machine. Each has feelings toward the other, and a significant number of studies show that positive instructor-student relationships facilitate the learning process while negative ones interfere in students’ learning. However, the impact of lack of relationships on learning do not appear to have been periodically documented. This study was specifically designed to examine the impact of Instructor-Student Relationships in Private and Government Higher Learning Institutions, on Students’ Learning. The study examined the nature of relationships that exist between instructors and students in St. Mary’s University College (SMUC) and Addis Ababa University College of Commerce AAUCC and identified the factors influencing such relationships. It also tried to assess the professional distance maintained by the instructors in both institutions. To be able to examine and compare the impact of Instructor-Student Relationships on Students’ Learning, in the chosen institutions, in a questionnaire was administered to both prospective graduating students and senior instructors found in SMUC and AAUCC. The survey summarized all activities carried out the process followed? and recommends the most workable findings, which if appropriately addressed are believed to maximize students’ participation in the teaching learning practices.